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The Simunye Project
Story
In early 1996, Bridget Parker and David Latham traveled to
South Africa and visited the Kwa-Zulu-Natal area
staying at the Simunye Zulu Lodge. Over the next few
years Bridget and David made many visits to the area becoming aware of
the problems that had decimated the once proud Zulu Nation.
As the AIDS epidemic grew in South Africa, they started The
Simunye Project, a 501(c)3 designated not for profit
charity to help the people in the Natal area.
The Simunye Project built the Ofankomo School in 2006 outside
of Melmoth to teach Zulu children in grades 1 thru 3, and
became involved not only in the AIDS efforts, but also
feeding the poorest of the poor in that area.
Currently, clothing,
medicine and food are but a few of the things that the
Simunye Project provides. The Project team has also very
involved in working with a village of physically
handicapped people called Jubalani, which was started during
the Mandela era and then abandoned, leaving these people
without care or the ability to make a living. The Simunye
Project has not only provided medicine, food,
clothing, etc., for these people, but also has provided
materials and machinery to enable the people to become self
supporting. Further, The Simunye Project, Inc. provides
nutritional supplements to the sick as well as AIDS patients
which are essential to their ability to fight HIV. Today HIV
infects almost 56 percent of the people in this area. In its
wake, HIV has left starvation, homelessness and orphans. We
are concerned for the many orphans living by themselves not able to afford food or clothing, about the rising
numbers of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, and those that cannot
afford basic food or medical care.
The Simunye Project has been funded by the generosity
of people and this generosity is
making a difference. We hope that you will consider The
Simunye Project when making your charitable decisions.
100 percent of your donation is used to provide
necessities for these people. Your donation is tax deductible
as provided by law.
The Simunye Project provides food, clothing, medications and
schooling for several families in Natal. Gugo, Eunice, and Jabu
are a few of the members of the Simunye Village Community
that oversee our efforts. They not only report to us on the
welfare of the families we feed, but also check on the people that are
unable to care for themselves. Soka Mthembu, Patrick Phakathi, Erick Mcineka, and Themba Mthombeni, local residents, volunteer their time to make repairs on their
neighbors' houses. The Simunye
Project helps on an as-needed basis. |
