From 15th - 22nd September 2018, the team below will be embarking on a once in a lifetime opportunity to work at the Khaya Centre in Lehae, 30km South of Johannesburg.  The community there do not have access to basic services and have very limited life opportunities. The skills that our volunteers will bring to this project will be vital in improving the lives. They will be working to support some of the most vulnerable people within the community by building a community centre, which will create a meeting hall and work hubs which will enable the community to come together and for people to develop skills to earn an income.

The team includes:

Colette McKune, Debbie Attwood, Barbara Joyce, Sacha Boljevic, Francis Dunn, Sarah Watson, Rachel Parrington, Ellie Green, Stacey D'Addona, Mark Sullivan, Paul Gerrard, Geoff Cooke, Chloe Boyle, Jess Cooper, Mark Smith, Mark Hughes, Simon Blanshard, Gary McNulty, Raymond Bird, Deborah Clayton, Katie Frail, Sharon Butler, Maureen Carhart, Karen Sloan, Fyonna Shannon, Claire Lambert, Lewis Lambert, Marie McKee, Carmel Noonan, Anna Losty and Paul Bamford.

UPDATE

Hi Everyone,

We'd like to extend a big thank you to you all for supporting our successful journey to Lehae last month - and give you an update on how things went. Thanks to you and our volunteers, we were able to make a difference to the lives of many people in the community, who would otherwise not have the resources and funding to help them achieve their goals. During the trip our volunteers took part in the following initiatives:

• Laying the foundations of a new local church (including demolishing the old site which was no longer suitable for use).
• Building partitions in the local community centre, creating work hubs and a meeting hall - enabling the local community to come together and for people to develop skills and earn an income.
• Through donations of unused spectacles and the attendance of an ophthalmologist as part of the ForViva team, we improved over 350 people's vision, who would otherwise not have access to eye care and, in turn, improved many aspects of their lives.
• Distributed the kind donations of sanitary products and other items in high demand to over 100 people in need of them.
• Painted a number of houses where children of the Khaya Centre and their grandparents lived, improving the places where they live.

Throughout the trip many volunteers were reflecting on their experiences. Karen Sloan, Chief of Operations Officer for Liberty said, "One of the most important things that was very evident to me was how we're here to improve others' lives, but we've just as much been changing our own." The team shared their insights and thoughts every day on short daily video blogs.

Day 1: https://twitter.com/forviva_group/status/1042046126445260802

Day 2: https://twitter.com/forviva_group/status/1042304701562343424

Day 3: https://twitter.com/forviva_group/status/1042666525000388613

Day 4: https://twitter.com/forviva_group/status/1043063010334531584

Day 5: https://twitter.com/forviva_group/status/1043468327853719552

If you would like any more information about the Footprints Foundations, please contact Barbara Joyce.