This month marks three years since my first trip to South Africa.  My first day in Jeffrey’s Bay, and my first morning at Ithemba.  I was nervous, overwhelmed.  It was only my second time out of the country and I had no idea what to expect.  I walked in the front door of Ithemba and instantly knew that my life would never be the same again.   I was surrounded by 50 small, adorable children…all starving for love and attention and in desperate need of nourishment and care.
Now, three years later, Gavin and I have come to think of Jeffrey’s Bay as our “home away from home” and the 200 children at Ithemba as our own precious kids.  We love each one of them so dearly and feel incredibly blessed to be able to offer them nutrition, medical care, education, spiritual formation and most importantly LOVE and HOPE.  We are able to give them these things because of people like you…because of your generosity and your love for children half way across the world.  So, on our three year anniversary, we want to say THANK YOU….thank you for actively participating in setting not only the children at Ithemba, but also the precious kids from Casa Havilah and Casa Robles free from poverty.  Because of you, they have the chance to dream…one little boy in particular is dreaming BIG…dreaming of things that he would have never thought possible only a few years ago.
Chaidri was born in a small town about an hour outside of Jeffrey’s Bay.  He lived in a tiny shack and spent his days gathering wood and working for his family…there was never enough food and he spent most nights very hungry.  A few years ago, his grandmother moved him to Jeffrey’s Bay in hopes of finding work.  That is when Chaidri came to Ithemba.  Our teachers quickly realized his potential…his extremely charming personality, his ability to learn quickly and his drive to excel.  He worked very hard in school and participated in all of our tutoring programs.
Last year, at 15 years old, he was ready to graduate to the 8th grade and we were very excited to offer him our first scholarship to the Global Leadership Academy!  He started school this January and we are SO proud of how he has done.  He is studying hard and making great grades, he is very excited about extra curricular activities and has joined the track team, surf team, and rugby team.  He has learned a lot in the last six months, most importantly, how to dream.  Chaidri now wants to go to College and wants to be a beacon of light in his community.  He has broken through the barriers of poverty and he has been able to do this because of people like you.  Chaidri’s success is just one example of the impact that you are having on hundreds a children throughout the world.  We hope that you will continue to partner with us as we DREAM BIG and work toward our goal of setting children free from poverty!

Lindsay, Gavin and the LUO team