Valley Education Fund

1.       Donate. Add an extra 5% to your total bill which will be donated to The Valley Education Fund

2.       Donate Equipment. Bring old boots, helmets, knee guards and team shirts over to be used by Valley youngsters learning the sport. You will be helping our development polo program immensely and chances are, you will want to fill that space in your suitcase with new, inexpensive white trousers or African souvenirs anyway!

3.       Become a sponsor. You can “adopt” a student in our education program and help the pay their school fees while following their educational progress.

4.       Make a once off donation to either the “Education” part of the program or to “Development Polo.”

What Is the Valley Education Fund:

The VEF was created as a program to assist local school children in furthering their educational opportunities. In 2009, the VEF is helping 26 children, in various ways with meeting the financial needs of their education. Some children are “sponsored” by individuals or families who follow their progress through school. Some sponsors simply make lump sum donation to assist with community projects underway.

 What is ABRINA 5279: 

ABRINA 5279 is a section 21 company, established as a non-profit entity to collect and handle the actual donations. It is directed by both Christian and Tracey and all funds pass through the ABRINA 5279 bank account directly to the children.  

The VEF Projects:

The VEF has made several big accomplishments already in 2009. The program expanded to include 9 older students who have been enrolled in various high schools in town. Boarding has been arranged for them, and the VEF pays for rent, food, and transport on their behalf. It was deemed important for them to live in town to have access to the library, to encourage participation in extra-curricular activities and to have electric lights to study by! Something we take for granted, but the sad fact is that the villages that most of these children come from do not, as of yet, have electricity or indoor toilets. The program helps them to begin learning how to responsibly look out for their own interests and play and active role in their community.  

Our BIG project for the year is the upgrading of the Franshoek/Naledi Farm School Resource Center. This is the government-run primary school (grades 1-6) in our Valley. They had computers donated years ago, but the teachers were never trained how to use them. We have now got them up and running with educational games. A television and old VCR have been donated as well. On Saturdays, with the help of volunteers, the “media center” is open from 9-12. All villagers are welcome to learn the basics of computers and practice their writing skills by sending letters to overseas pen pals. We hope to acquire at least 6 more computers by the end of the year and get the school equipped with Internet access.