In Memory of our Patron, Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi 1928 - 2023

Dear Friends, We open this newsletter with a tribute to our late Patron Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, who passed away at his home in Ulundi on 9 September at the age of 95.   A dear friend of Nicky and David Rattray (the above photo shows Prince Buthelezi and David at a museum opening), the Prince became our Patron in 2007, the year of our founding, together with HRH King Charles III, then the Prince of Wales.   In one of his thoughtful letters commending our work, Prince Buthelezi wrote: “[KHULA’s] timely interventions have made a world of difference to the communities of uMzinyathi. I am proud to be associated with a team that can do this much, this quickly, with such incredible results. “I can only urge KHULA to keep going and keep growing, for as my late friend David Rattray so wisely said, ‘Without education there is no hope, and without hope there is no future.’”   We have been greatly honoured to have had his support since our very beginnings. Thank you, Prince Buthelezi."She is a totally different child now": The impact of a KHULA education 5-year-old Yenzokuhle (pictured below) is one of 89 girls and boys currently enrolled at Magaga Preschool.   As there is little work in the local area, Yenzokuhle’s mother had to move to Gauteng (around 5 hours away) to support her family, so Yenzokuhle lives with her grandparents and cousins.    Her grandmother Nokwazi Khumalo, adores Yenzokuhle and is always asking KHULA for our ‘secret recipe’, because she sees how her granddaughter has transformed from being very shy into a bubbly, confident child during her two years at Magaga Preschool. Below, Nokwazi tells us how her granddaughter has benefited from a KHULA preschool education. “Yenzokuhle is my youngest grandchild. Her mother is doing odd jobs in Gauteng to provide for us and we supplement whatever she manages to bring home each month with my government pension grant [which equates to about £85 per month].    “I was over the moon when KHULA opened this preschool in 2019 and started showing us how much our children can learn from a young age. When Yenzokuhle started preschool in 2022, she was very shy, she couldn’t even play with her peers. We were not even sure if she was going to cope or grasp anything at school, this is one of the reasons I pushed her mother to register her at Magaga.    “She is now a totally different child - she speaks English beautifully, she is confident, independent and has a positive attitude in many things, and she even knows what she wants to be when she grows up. I love this school so much; I like how the teachers keep us updated about our children’s progress. The fact that our children are well fed means I don’t have to worry about a lunchbox every day.   “She is going to Grade R next year and I have no fear or doubts that she will do very well there. We are all very excited about her progress and development. Thank you KHULA for realizing the importance of teaching our children young. We, as the community, are also learning so much from the school. ” Our long-standing supporter, the Aeonian Foundation, will be matching every donation to KHULA received from now until 31 December! So if you'd like the impact of your support to go further, consider making a donation to KHULA today! Any support you're able to give will help us provide a quality education to thousands of rural children and young people around Rorke's Drift and Isandlwana, as well as helping them access tertiary education and decent employment.  And for all UK tax payers, if you email your full name, address and confirmation that you would like to Gift Aid your donation to iona@khula.org.uk, it'll be worth 25% more. That means, a donation of £100 + Match Funding + Gift Aid = £225 for KHULA's work!Double your impact - all donations received before 31 December will be matched!KHULA receives Commendation for our Services to Education We are honoured to have received a commendation from skills development specialist and Ofqual-regulated awarding organisation ABE for our Services to Education, in recognition of our "exceptional work" to promote inclusive education and "in making a difference to the lives of others through the advancement of education in the fields of business and enterprise."   Our CEO Deborah Heustice said, "This is a wonderful compliment to the dedication and innovation of our KHULA staff, who are working every day across the schools and communities around Rorke's Drift and Isandlwana to make a difference for children and young people. We are hugely honoured to accept this award from ABE." November is Will Aid month! Support your favourite causes and reduce your inheritance tax when you include a charitable gift in your Will For our UK-based readers, this November, you can take part in Will Aid, an annual campaign whereby participating solicitors will waive their fees for writing your Will in exchange for a donation to one of their partner charities.   KHULA is not a Will Aid partner, but having your Will written or updated is also an opportunity to consider remembering your favourite charities with a gift, after you have taken care of your loved ones. Gifts in Wills raised an incredible £1.7 billion for charities in 2018 and they can also help reduce your Inheritance Tax bill, either being taken off the value of your estate before Inheritance Tax is calculated, or reducing the rate if 10% or more of your estate is left to charity.   After you have taken care of your loved ones, leaving a gift in your Will to KHULA Education is an amazing way of ensuring we can continue to build opportunities for rural children and young people around Rorke’s Drift and Isandlwana for many years to come. If you have already written your Will, your solicitor can add a simple codicil specifying any charitable gifts you would like to make.  Questions? Email iona@khula.org.uk and we'll be happy to help! Find out more about remembering KHULA Education in your WillLast of all, with all of South Africa on tenterhooks, it would be remiss of us not to mention the big game tomorrow... GOOD LUCK Springboks! Iona, Debbie and the KHULA team *All donations received between 28 October 2023 - 31 December 2023 will be doubled up to a maximum value of £30,000.