CHOSA alumnus named new Fundraising Coordinator

Hello CHOSA family! I am excited to be joining the CHOSA staff as the new Fundraising Coordinator. Originally from Detroit, Michigan, I studied Sociology & Social Justice at Georgetown University in Washington, DC. Upon graduating in 2010, I spent a year volunteering with Hands at Work, an NGO supporting community-based efforts to serve orphans and [...]

Read Full Post »

Weekend Warriors Perform for a Different Kind of Audience

In early October, CHOSA had the exciting opportunity to welcome the Weekend Warriors to Cape Town. WW joined CHOSA’s afterschool program to put on a concert for the kids. We threw a couple of guitars into the van and decided to see what would happen. WW ended up putting on an acoustic concert for the 40 or so kids who were at practice that day. It was a HUGE hit and the kids were singing their songs well into the weekend.

Read Full Post »

Weekend Warriors en route to Cape Town!

This afternoon, long-time CHOSA supporter Chris Sinclair will lead The International Music Festival’s first trip to Cape Town! The Anthem Group and this year’s winners, The Weekend Warriors will play their first concert at Wadda, a club in Claremont, Cape Town on Friday evening. Partial proceeds from the festival will go to CHOSA. You can download Weekend Warriors on iTunes or take a listen on the IMF website here. Scroll about half way down the page to hear “Mr Right Now”, “Take Me to LA” and “Rainfall”!
Weekend Warriors is booming and has recently had tracks used on The Real World Cancun, Paris Hilton’s My New BFF and The Hills!

Read Full Post »

Remembering Mama’s Day 2007 by Ellen Rosenberg

With Father’s Day just behind us, I find myself thinking about today’s dynamic and unique family structures almost hourly. It’s hard to believe that it’s been more than 2 years since CHOSA’s first networking event. When the idea to bring all of the Mamas together in town for a Mother’s Day brunch sprung to life, [...]

Read Full Post »

It Takes a Village…

Meet Nosiphiwo While many of you know the American staff of CHOSA, we want to give you a chance to get to know some of the people who are raising the children of South Africa.  In December, a few CHOSA supporters in Philadelphia had the opportunity to meet with Simphiwe Mabuya from Baphumelele Children’s Home.  While [...]

Read Full Post »

Amafoto Event a Success!

Thanks to everyone who attended Amafoto Ethu in Washington, DC on June 3rd! While we could have done without the torrential downpours, the braai was delicious with authentic South African boerewors, mealie pap and Mrs. Balls chutney!  After braving the rain, more than 70 guests joined CHOSA at The George Washington University’s Mount Vernon campus. [...]

Read Full Post »

Amafoto Ethu (“Our Photos”) featured on NPR’s “The Picture Show”

This morning, NPR’s The Picture Show blog published a piece about CHOSA’s upcoming photo exhibition in Washington, DC. Since 2006, CHOSA has been running photography workshops with the kids, providing a creative outlet, encouraging critical thinking and problem solving and an opportunity for the children to show the rest of us what the world looks like through their eyes.

Read Full Post »

Londi and Eric’s Wedding Wish

Volunteer alumni, Londi Gamedze and Eric Axelrod got married and are asking for donations to CHOSA in their honor! Please take five minutes to watch their video tribute and gain a better understanding of the relationships they built over teh years. Congratulations, Mazel Tov, Felistasie and Halala!

Read Full Post »

From the Desk of the Regional Director

Ube iNtlakohlaza Emnandi (Happy Spring!)
A lot has happened since the last newsletter! The projects that you have heard so much about over the years are doing well, and many are growing. Baphumelele Children’s Home recently opened its sixth and seventh cluster homes, which provide a family structure for the children, despite the huge size of the home itself (now serving over 150 children); Emasithandane Children’s Project has purchased a piece of land in an area nearby and plans to open a new home for the kids living there long-term; Ubuhle Babantwana, a preschool we support, is developing a new building to accommodate the rapidly growing demand for the education it provides; and the Philani Family Fund has broadened its focus to not only work with single mothers, but also to take on cases from the Philani Nutrition Centre’s orphan and vulnerable children (OVC) department, which works primarily with child-headed households. Over the past eight months, the Philani Family Fund has written three scholarships for higher education, built and refurbished seven homes, and we recently took on our first micro-loan to enable a family of Zimbabwean refugees to start their own business.

Read Full Post »