Education, April 8, 2021, 8:13 p.m.

Anna Foundation - Quarterly Highlights 2021

Author: Anna Foundation

It is hard to believe that a whole year has passed since the pandemic changed life as we know it.

Reflecting on the last 12 months, a flood of varying emotions arises: sadness for those we have lost, admiration for the strength and resilience of our staffing team amid the challenges of lockdown, and immense pride for the way in which our students have embraced change. We were so pleased to be able to re-open all 16 after school centres in February and have worked tirelessly to bring students up to speed after they missed almost 70% of official school days in 2020. Sincere thanks go to all of our supporters and donors who have continued to show their commitment to the Foundation by way of ongoing donations. Without you, none of what we do would be possible.


With gratitude for all that we have,

Anna
 

By Estelle Beukman - Project Manager
What a delight to re-open in 2021, albeit under the ‘new normal’ with strict hygiene and social distancing protocols in place. Due to ongoing restrictions at government schools, which include reduced hours and rotating platoons in order to satisfy social distancing requirements, a decision was made to extend after school opening hours to accommodate children on their ‘off days’.

In addition, we increased the provision of one-on-one tutoring for students who are struggling in subjects such as maths, to help close the gap created by ongoing disruptions to the official school year.  

Our academic term incorporated the following themes: ‘Who am I? My body; How I take care of my body; My family and friends; Emotions and The Five Senses.’

In times where physical interaction and intimacy are restricted due to social distancing and masks, our facilitators used these themes not only to teach academic concepts, but to help learners adapt to their changed social environment so that they feel loved and accepted. Our Wonderboxes from Wonderdal continue to provide stimulation and inspiration!
 

 

TEACHER TRAINING
Women Empowerment forms an integral component of our work, as we train local women from our rural and farm communities to implement the 3Rs programme. It was fantastic to re-instate our monthly facilitator training sessions in February. We took time to revisit all the lockdown videos created last year of fun, learning activities, which facilitators then incorporated into a Friday Fun Day to end the school week on a high!

We are impressed by our facilitators’ commitment to their own self-development as well as their willingness to go the extra mile to satisfy the increased educational needs of our learners. 
 

By Fa-Eez Abrahams - Sports Manager 
We were all very excited to get moving again in 2021! It was a challenging start to the year, due to physical restrictions in place that prevented us from participating in many of our usual team building sporting activities. However, facilitators took this in their stride and spent a lot of time developing new and fun exercises as a result, which was a real highlight for our learners. 

Our theme this quarter was athletics, and within this, we focused on teambuilding, bilateral co-ordination, fine motor skills, communication and listening skills. Our bike programme has also gained a lot of traction and we were delighted to encourage more young girls to participate in the weekly sessions! Although they started off a bit fearful, by now, they are more enthusiastic than ever and really eager to hone their skills on the pump track!  

 

By Leana Claasen - Project Manager
Tying in with education and sport, this term we focused on the theme of creativity, providing learners with positive creative outlets to help cope with the emotional rollercoaster caused by Covid-19. We also considered the concepts of co-operation and teamwork, looking at aspects of communication to build trust, such as eye contact and body language.

During our monthly facilitator trainings, teachers similarly enjoyed participating in life skill games that enabled them to momentarily forget the worries and challenges they face on a daily basis. We also shared tips on how to promote good mental health and well–being in children, by bringing fun and playfulness into their lives. 

 

VIRTUAL CAPE EPIC 2021 
This year, the Anna Foundation has been proud to show its support and solidarity to our partner Cape Epic, by participating in the Virtual Cape Epic 2021, which took place on the online cycle training and racing platform Zwift. Not only was this virtual event the first MTB stage race to be hosted on Zwift, it was also the first chance for our learners to ride on a smart trainer. 

It also gave learners their first opportunity to take part in an international timed cycling event and ride alongside cyclists from all over the world! Huge thanks to our long-term friends at Flandria Cycles for the use of their smart trainers and extra kudos to director Anna Brom for completing all four grueling stages!  

Read More About The Virtual Cape Epic
 

BOOK READING: CAPE LEOPARD TRUST 
Following on from last year's book reading at the Dylan Lewis Sculpture Garden, students from Groot Constantia spent the day with Cape Leopard Trust in March and listened to a reading of 'Footprints in the Fynbos'. The book is about a leopard on an adventure to find a friend, who meets many characters along the way and learns valuable life lessons. Sincere thanks to Cape Leopard Trust for gifting learners with a copy of the book! 

Buy Your Own Copy of Footprints in the Fynbos
 

JEANNA KETCHINGTON BOOTCAMP
We love to connect with individuals and businesses who share a similar ethos to that of the Anna Foundation. Sports scientist and personal trainer Jeanna Kenchington is one such person. In January, Jeanna hosted a pop-up fitness boot camp at Cloud 9 Boutique Hotel & Spa and kindly donated a portion of the proceeds to support the Anna Foundation’s sports programme. 

Host Your Own Fundraising Event
 

WILLOW WELLNESS' MULTI-VITAMIN 
Thanks to the support of Willow Wellness, we all feel a lot stronger and healthier! Since July 2020, their team has supplied a daily Covid-19 multivitamin to our learners, including increased Vitamin C, D and Zinc components to ward off winter ailments such as the common cold and flu and to strengthen children’s immune systems in the event of them contracting Covid-19. No wonder they were fit and ready to start 2021 with a bang! 

 

FROM THE VEGGIE GARDEN
During lockdown, our partner Lunchbox Fund provided an invaluable service by delivering meals to families all over South Africa, including those of our organisation. To supplement the staples, we’re excited to be harvesting our own veggies! It’s a great start, but we could do with some help. If you are or know a farmer with surplus produce, please get in touch to contribute towards feeding over 700 families in rural areas of the Western Cape.

You Are (Or Know) A Farmer Who Can Help
 
Main sponsors:
Cape Wine Auction l The Lunchbox Fund
Rolf-Stephan Nussbaum Foundation
1 Percent Club Members l The Department of Social Development 

Official beneficiaries of:
Absa Cape Epic | FNB Wines2Whales
Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon 

Corporate donors:
Ackerman Family Educational Trust l Aviz Labs l Bike2Help 
Cape Island | Capitec Foundation | Croft Trust | Croon Holdings 
De Villiers Family l Dornier Wine Club l Flandria Cycles
Got Enough Stuff | Ironman Foundation 
Jeanna Ketchington | Jet Lee Will Trust
Kargo International Logistics | Klem Carstens
Lilla Howe Trust | Majik Foundation
My School My Village My Planet 
Peppina Sales l Remgro Management Services
Sail Ventures NL | Somerset West Rotary Club
Swiss Epic | The Wines of South Africa 
Thelema Wine Farm | Victus Group 
Vision Elevators | Vlocity Communications 
Willow Wellness | Wonderdal at Hazendal 
 

RIDE THE CAPE EPIC 2022 FOR THE ANNA FOUNDATION
 

Have you been on the fence about whether to do The Race That Measures All next year?? Now's the time to decide. We have one charity entry left for Absa Cape Epic 2022 that has your name on it!

Click here to register your interest. 

FUNDRAISE FOR 
THE ANNA FOUNDATION

 

Visit our Anna Foundation GivenGain online donor portal and be an Anna Foundation activist for your next 'socially distanced' event OR support our runners and/or riders in our upcoming events. Click here to get in touch. 

 

DONATIONS OR VOLUNTEERS:
Please visit our website www.annafoundation.com to support us, or donate to Transfer (EFT): Standard Bank, Stellenbosch, Branch code 050610, 

Account name: Anna Foundation, Account Number 033026130, Swift Address: SBZAZAJJ






 

Or donate on any of our various online donor portals:






 
 
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