Penny Harvest Seattle

OUR ORGANIZATION’S STORY
  

Sasha Wade, Founder and Director 
 

In 2003, I met a woman named Priscilla Higham who started an organization called African Solutions to African Problems which addresses many community problems in South Africa.  They desperately wanted more support for the educational needs of children they were helping.  I was so inspired by her story, I wanted to help too.   As a mother of 6-year-old and 10-year-old on Long Island, I felt strongly that when students were asked to help their community, they were only asked to collect money from their families.  They didn’t learn about who they were helping or get to use their hands to help. From that, I created the School to School Program!  School to School is designed to help students in classrooms here in the United States find creative ways to raise money to provide orphaned children in South Africa with what they need to go to school.  As my daughter said, “School to School has taught me that helping people is not something that I do a few times a year, but it is a part of my life forever.” 
 

We work in three of the poorest and most isolated parts of South Africa called Transkei, Kwa Zulu Natal and Nyanga township. 
 

One of the biggest challenges that children in parts of South Africa face is the payment of school fees.  A law made in 1996 said that all children from age 7 to 15 years should be able to go to school.  However, many schools cannot accept children unless they pay the school fee.  Even though it is a small fee, this is a reality for many children. 
 

Another challenge for children is finding the money to buy shoes and a uniform.  Students are embarrassed to go to school without a proper uniform and shoes.  Students and the schools they attend need money for school supplies like pencils and paper. 
  

Many children walk miles each day to get back and forth from school.  Their chores like caring for younger brothers and sisters or fetching water and firewood can take away time from doing their schoolwork.  Girls often have more responsibilities at home to care for their families.  So if a family only has enough money to send one child to school, it is usually a boy.  Orphaned children don’t have families to support them to go to school at all. 
  

OUR UNIQUE SOLUTION 
 

School to School uses the creativity of students in classrooms in the Unites States to raise donations that will provide registration fees, uniforms and learning materials for children that don’t get to school in South Africa. 
 

Sometimes we provide small amounts of money to older children that are forced to work so that they can manage both their school and home responsibilities. 
 

We keep track of all the children enrolled in school through the program to make sure they are doing well.  In the Transkei, we have helped 1,600 orphans or children in need to get to school and succeed in school.  In Kwa Zulu Natal, we are sponsoring school fees and uniforms for 300 orphaned children that are part of a community center.  In Nyanga township, we have provided school fees, uniforms and learning materials for 54 orphaned children.  
 

The Nkulisa Junior Secondary School has more than 60 orphans and other children in need ages 6 to 19 sponsored by the School to School program.  One teacher reports that, prior to sponsorship, “they did not have interest in school, they were always looking sad and distressed and [I could] see fear in their eyes when school fees had to be collected.  Attendance is now good.  There is more interest in school activities.  The school has now been winning medals through the children’s involvement in music, sport and other activities, regardless of their status.” 
 

• $50 will fund school supplies for 15 students
• $75 will fund uniforms for 3 students
• $100 will fund the school fees for 4 high school students
• $150 will fund school fees for 25 middle school students
• $250 will fund computer classes for 20 students
 

School to School is designed so that any school, grade or individual student can participate on whatever level they choose:
 

• One of the big advantages of participating in School to School is that children from both sides of the globe can communicate and exchange stories and experiences to learn more about each other.  We can help you connect with students that will be helped with your Penny Harvest funds.   
 
• We can help you set-up more fundraisers in your community to get more people involved. 

 
CONTACT US
 

Name:  Sasha Wade
Title:  Program Director
Address: 36 Wellington Road,
              Locust Valley, NY 11560
Email: sendsasha@aol.com
Phone:  516-578-3899
Preferred method of contact: email 
 

Visit our website at http://www.africansolutions.org/schooltoschool.html