May 2025 Newsletter

GLLP Newsletter May 2025.pdf

Winter Warmth

We had an outstanding response to our appeal for jerseys and beanies this year and all our little ones have each gone home with either a jersey and beanie or tracksuit top. Thank you to all the knitters and folk who donated wool, material and their expertise and time in sewing or knitting for our children. Bless you all for your generosity!

We were able to distribute excess jerseys and beanies to Pastor Robert Maphanga in Lidgetton, Pastor Nathi Nobela from Mpophomeni and the Ethembeni Mother and Child outreach.

Our children were also excited to receive Easter eggs, thanks to generous donors from the Greater Ambers.

Angel Paws

Juno, Jack, Ollie and Snax – these are the names of the amazing therapy dogs that Angel Paws brought to God’s Little Lambs Preschool for their final visit this year. The dog handlers prefer to have a maximum of 20 children petting the animals at a time so as not to stress the dogs, so the groups are limited.

The event aimed to teach the children how to care for and approach the dogs through hands-on activities with them. They stroked and brushed and gave the dogs treats, then took turns walking the dogs, fostering a sense of companionship and trust. A couple of children who were initially nervous soon warmed up to the idea and enjoyed their time with them.

Building Fund

Our building fund now stands at R58 000 as we work towards dividing one of our classrooms to reduce noise levels; and enclosing a veranda to give the children a better space to play when the weather turns wet or cold. Predicted cost is in the region of R150 000. If you would like to contribute to this please see our bank details on: https://gods-little-lambs.wixsite.com/gllhowick/how-can-you-help-us and mark your donation “bldg” with your name and surname. Since the school is registered as a Public Benefit Organisation all donations qualify for a tax deduction. (Email GLLHowick@gmail.com for your tax certificate.)

Murals at Our Front Entrance

Some of you may remember that we asked our HCC youth to help us paint the palisade fence at our front entrance about 2 years ago. We took it a step further when at the end of April, our principal Monica Ngobese, together with Cathy Beattie and 2 friends from Gauteng, painted the mural on the front walls of the school. What a lovely sight with little lambs frolicking among the colourful flowers! Thank you all for your generous help in making the entrance look so much better.

Maintenance and Other Smaller Projects

There is always maintenance to be done and this month we want to repaint our principal’s office as well as the passageways on the lower level near the kitchen. We are also looking for the following:

a suitable second-hand desk for the office as the current one is beyond repair
a portable CD player for use in the children’s music lessons
a single-bed frame for the sick bay

If you would like to donate towards any of these needs, we would love to hear from you. Call Clare on 084 4557771.

Gardening

We will be planting another crop of cabbages and spinach shortly to supplement the 2 meals each child gets every day.

If you have surplus citrus such as naartjies or oranges in your garden and would like to donate some, we would be most grateful.

Thanks and Acknowledgements

Heartfelt thanks to all our sponsors and donors who make it possible for us to keep going month by month. The fund-raising environment is very tough at present with President Donald Trump’s change in policy. While that doesn’t affect us directly, it does mean that NGO’s in South Africa are all drawing from the same much smaller pot. Any help we can get is very gratefully received.

Umngeni Municipality for toys donated as well as financial contribution.
Book Dash for their generous donation of 240 books to the school.
Love Howick who are now collecting our recycling regularly.
Fairfield Dairy that donates large quantities of yogurt and other dairy products on a weekly basis.
Barnsley Farming which, over the years, has donated thousands of eggs that enable our cook to make nutritious breakfasts for the children.
Meander Prime Cuts for their ongoing donation of meat products.
Rise Against Hunger Africa who donated a substantial amount of food to supplement the children’s meals.
Falcon Agricultural Equipment and Plumbit Doc for their sponsored metalwork and maintenance respectively.
Hopewell Supplies for seedling donations.
Those whose generous donations of material and wool have enabled our knitters and sewers to create many useful items of clothing.
Knitters, both local and overseas who have donated their time and effort to make our winter warmth program a great success.
Those who collect small change which makes a BIG difference.
Donors and sponsors - both local and overseas - who help with paying the children's school fees and assist us with some of our larger projects.
Those who pray constantly for all at God’s Little Lambs.
The Management team which does a sterling job in supporting the principal and staff in all that they do.
Howick Community Church and the outreach support they give to this ministry.
Schools such as St John's DSG in Pietermaritzburg, Oasis, Howick Pre-primary School and Heritage House in Howick, and Clifton Prep, amongst others, that have supported us in many ways over the years.
Individual donors of items as simple as recycling or ice-cream boxes for the kids to put their stationery in. We include here folk who bake occasional batches of biscuits to treat the children; folk who donate stationery and suitable second-hand toys and games in good condition, as well as books to go into their library.
Delta Design and Midlands Woodworkers Guild for beautifully made wooden toys
Other folk who give generously of their time and talents – doing maintenance work, gardening, photography, sewing, computer support etc.