Seeds of Light

We always love to visit Senianya Primary School because of the welcome we receive. Experience has shown us that any small amount of effort or money we give towards a project will be increased exponentially. It often feels like the loaves and fishes parable!

The school is also fortunate to have a committed school principal and dedicated teachers who make the most out of the meager resources they have in this impoverished and isolated school 10km outside Acornhoek.
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When you turn into Shobiyana High School, the first thing you notice (after the dust and heat) are the large elephant sculptures. Andries Botha, one of South Africa’s most acclaimed sculptors, constructed one of the large elephants out of the local rock with the help of local artists and donated it to the school. Walter Sibuyi, the art teacher, explains that the elephant faces towards the resting place of the eponymous Chief Shobiyana.

Seeds of Light has been supporting Shobiyana High School’s art students and their teacher, Walter Sibuyi, since 2012. Walter is passionate and ambitious. He plans for his high school to be the “art center for excellence” in Acornhoek and is working towards this end, despite 1700 pupils and almost no resources.
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One of only a few schools in the area supporting children with disabilities, Tsakane Special School was opened in 2015 and accommodates over 160 children with special educational needs. It is a thrill to be able to teach art to these talented children. Presently we offer three art classes a week here.

Forty students with disabilities participate in the weekly Art and Creativity program. We hope the immediate benefits, such as having a boost in self-confidence, an outlet to express their rich internal world, increased self-esteem and a new sense of acceptance and inclusion, will give way to a greater freedom for the children and youth to participate more fully in formal schooling and other opportunities offered to them.
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Because of their close proximity to Seeds of Light’s New Dawn Art Center, the children of Chueu Primary School are the primary participants in our art and reading classes. This creative outlet is vitally important in the children’s development.

Situated in a very poor area of Acornhoek, the school has about 400 students, ages 6–14. many of whom rely on the school lunch as their main meal of the day.
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From the moment you drive through the front gate of Beretta Primary School, you know you have entered a special place because of its exquisitely beautiful garden.

The school has won numerous awards for its permaculture gardens, which provide healthy food for the children and medicinal plants to care for minor ailments.
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In 2004, the first school Seeds of Light started working with, Funjwa Primary School, was also the home of Seeds of Light’s first Acornhoek Champion—principal Daphne Mhaule. Now retired, Daphne remains a Champion and runs her own daycare center for young children.

Seeds of Light funded the drilling of a borehole (well) at Funjwa, which continues to provide water for the children and supports a very large permaculture garden. Rosina, the school gardener, has attended the Seeds of Light permaculture workshops and works tirelessly to keep the garden growing.
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