Weaving Threads of Hope in Kayamandi, South Africa

I will be away from my blog for a few weeks as I travel to South Africa with a team of volunteers from Threads Africa and Tapestry Homes.  I encourage you to visit our website and click LIKE for updates of the events happening throughout our trip.

Threads Africa: www.threadsafrica.org 
Tapestry Homes: www.tapestryhomes.org

About Threads Africa work:

Just a few miles away from one of South Africa's most affluent cities, Stellenbosch, lies Kayamandi, a small township (about one square mile) where approximately 60,000 people live in varying degrees of poverty.  About 60% of the community lives in squatter shacks with no running water, sewage or electricity.  Unemployment is currently at about 65%, and an HIV/AIDS infection rate of about 40% - well above the global average.  Schools are sub-par and education is commonly incomplete, as older siblings (12-14 years old) often leave school to care for their younger brothers and sisters, orphaned when dad leaves and mom dies of AIDS.

Six years ago Threads Africa began to visit this community and listen.  We listened as they spoke to us about the abuse and hopelessness that the young adults and youth are facing there.  Rape, drugs, alcoholism, violence, promiscuity, abandonment, loss of parents to AIDS - the list goes on.  Poverty here is the collateral damage of years of apartheid.  The scars borne by many residents of Kayamandi serve as a vivid reminder of the long-term, generational damage done by hatred and injustice.

Kuyasa Learning Center

Now for the good news.  Six years ago Threads partnered with Kuyasa Horizon Empowerment, an organization in Kayamandi that focuses on providing after-school tutoring in all academic areas.  We helped build and furnish classrooms in the Learning Center, reinforced roofs, added air conditioning and constructed and furnished a Computer Learning Center.  In 2011,  93% of the Kuyasa high school students that took the matric exam, passed! It's working!  We are seeing lives changed, and hope of a better future for these young people.  This year the public school administrators in Kayamandi have, for the first time, partnered with The Learning Center asking that they work together to send struggling students to the center for tutoring until their grades improve.  This collaboration with the community has always been our long-term goal, so to see these results and hear of this new collaboration was music to our ears.

Tapestry Homes Safe Home #2

Over the past three years, Threads has also teamed up with Tapestry Homes to build two safe homes.  These homes have allowed 12 girls to be rescued from the streets and placed into a safe environment where their education and personal growth can blossom.  The team leaving in July will be building a third home.  That team going in July will also be presenting a two-day workshop on healing and spiritual development for the girls and house moms.

Threads of Learning workshop

We also partner with another organization working in Kayamandi, Prochorus, whose focus is to help elevate the preschool (creche) education of the youngest citizens of  Kayamandi.  We are developing a teacher training program called Threads of Learning, sharing our knowledge of preschool teaching techniques with these creche teachers, many of whom have never finished school themselves.  In July we will be presenting a 4-day workshop on different learning styles, storytelling and connecting bible stories with academic learning games, songs and activities.

The team will, of course, spend part of every day walking though the community and listening.  Our efforts are meant to help them help themselves, but give them the tools and encouragement they need to dream past their poverty by using their God-given talents to the fullest.

Listening to the Need

If you'd like to contribute financially to our programs, you can do so directly on the Threads Africa website, or purchase a ticket for the opportunity drawing for a Safari for Two in beautiful South Africa. Tickets are $100 each and you can purchase as many tickets as you'd like. But do it quick, since we are only selling 500 tickets.

See y'all next month!

Cute Clothing Creates a Choking Concern

Don’t count on buyers always thinking about safety when selecting clothing for infants. You, as a smart consumer, must always be diligent. As we have talked about often on this blog, simple clothing without accessories that can pull off, are always the safest choice.

Photo: CPSC

Once again cute clothing creates a choking hazard, as Target stores and Target.com announced a recall today for about 51, 700 white infant girls sandals.  Although no injuries have been reported, some consumers reported that the small white plastic flowers that decorate the shoe can be detached, resulting in a small part.  Small Parts are a serious choking hazard concern with children under three years of age.

The white Circo Aloma sandals have the Circo name embossed into the tread design of the sole of the footwear.  The Circa line is excusive to Target and these particular sandals were sold in their stores nationwide and online from January thru May 2011.  The sandals sold in infant sizes 2 -5 for $10 a pair.

If your precious little girl has a pair of these sandals, stop using them immediately and return them to any Target store for a refund.  Target Guest Relations can be contacted Monday through Friday at (800) 440-0680 between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. 

Photos of the sandals are available here. 

Summer Salad Season Brings FDA Warning

Photo: Cook-Oui Chef

It's summertime, and that means salads and fresh vegetables will be flying off the supermarket shelves. Keeping an eye on contaminants in this fresh food is just as important as keeping an eye on calories.  On June 22, 2011, a possible contamination from Listeria monocytogenes has prompted DOLE® Fresh Vegetables to announce a voluntary recall of two fresh food products.


The first victim is 2,880 cases of DOLE® Italian Blend salad.
The affected packages are marked with a Use-by Date of June 19, 2011.  The UPC code to look for is 7143000819. It is printed on the back of the bag, beneath the barcode. The recall is for Product Codes 0049A157201A, 0049A157201B, 0049A157202A, 0049A157202B, 0686A157202A, 0686A157202B. The product code is printed on the upper right-hand corner of the packaging.

Victim number two is 442 cases of Kroger Fresh Selections Italian Style Blend salad. The Use-by-Date for the Kroger product is June 19, 2011. The UPC code to look for is 1111091045.  It is printed on the back of the bag, beneath the barcode. The Product Codes  for the recall on this item are A157201A & A157201B, also printed on the upper right-hand corner of the packaging.

Photos: FDA

According to the FDA recall notice, "... these products were distributed in twelve U.S. states (Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Michigan, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Wisconsin) and three Canadian provinces (New Brunswick, Ontario and Quebec).


Listeria monocytogenes, a bacterium, can cause illness mainly in pregnant women or adults with compromised immune systems.  Symptoms might include fever, muscle aches, stomach cramps, nausea or diarrhea. In some more serious cases, it has been known to spread to the nervous system resulting in headache, stiff neck or confusion. 


Take a look in your fridge and check these dates and codes to be sure any DOLE® or Kroger Italian Blend Salad packages are not affected.  Retailers should have already removed this product from their shelves, but its best to check before you purchase.  If you find that you do have a product that matches the codes and dates listed above, return the product to your Retailer for a replacement or refund. You can contact Dole Food Company Consumer Response Center at (800) 356-3111. They operate Monday -Friday from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm (PDT). 

To the Survivors

This email was sent to me by a dear friend this morning. I thought I'd share with you on my blog today.  I do not know the author, so if anyone knows who wrote this...leave me a comment so I can credit it properly.  Life used to be less complicated, and so much more fun.  

Those of You Born
1930 - 1979

TO ALL THE KIDS WHO SURVIVED THE
1930's, 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's! 

Photo:archives.toys.oneofakindantiques.com

First, we survived being born to mothers 
Who smoked and/or drank while they were pregnant. 

They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing,
Tuna from a can and didn't get tested for diabetes. 

Then after that trauma, we were put to sleep on our tummies in baby cribs covered with bright colored lead-base paints. 

We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles,
Locks on doors or cabinets and when we rode
Our bikes, we had baseball caps not helmets on our heads. 

As infants & children,
We would ride in cars with no car seats,
No booster seats, no seat belts, no air bags, 

bald tires and sometimes no brakes. 

Riding in the back of a pick-up truck on a warm day
was always a special treat. 

We drank water
from the garden hose and not from a bottle. 

We shared one soft drink with four friends, 
from one bottle and no one actually died from this. 

We ate cupcakes, white bread, real butter and bacon.
We drank Kool-Aid made with real white sugar.
And, we weren't overweight.
WHY? 

Because we were
Always outside playing...that's why! 

We would leave home in the morning and play all day,
As long as we were back when the streetlights came on. 

No one was able to reach us all day. And, we were O.K. 

We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps
and then ride them down the hill, only to find out
we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes 
a few times, we learned to solve the problem.

We did not have Playstations, Nintendo's and X-boxes. 
There were no video games, no 150 channels on cable, 
no video movies or DVD's, no surround-sound or CD's,
no cell phones, no personal computers, no Internet and no chat rooms. 

WE HAD FRIENDS  and we went outside and found them! 

We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth 
and there were no lawsuits from these accidents. 

We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt,
and the worms did not live in us forever. 

We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays,
made up games with sticks and tennis balls and,
although we were told it would happen,
we did not put out very many eyes. 

We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and
knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just
walked in and talked to them. 

Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team.
Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment. 
Imagine that!! 

The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law
was unheard of. They actually sided with the law! 

These generations have produced some of the best
risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever. 

The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation 

and new ideas. We had freedom, failure, success 

and responsibility, and we learned how to deal with it all. 

If YOU are one of them?
CONGRATULATIONS!

You are among those that had the luck to grow up as kids, 

before the lawyers and government regulated so much of 

our lives for our own good. 
Kind of makes you want to run through the house
with scissors, doesn't it ? 

The quote of the
month is by Jay Leno: 
"With hurricanes, tornados, fires out of control, 
mud slides, flooding, severe thunderstorms
tearing up the country from one end to another, 
and with the threat of swine flu and terrorist attacks. 
Are we sure this is a good time to take God out of the 

Pledge of Allegiance?' 

Ten Skill-Building Activities for Infants: Birth to 3 Months

Infants are learning and growing in understanding every waking moment. Each day provides plenty of opportunities to stimulate your little learner. You don’t need fancy toys or expensive doodads.  Actually, you have just about everything you need right on your own body, or around the house.  Here are ten inexpensive ways to provide priceless learning activities for your child from birth to 3 months.
Activity	Description	Skill Development
Swaying	Using lap as a cradle, lay baby on lap with feet toward our stomach, Gently hold head and rock your body from side to side. Look into their eyes as you sway.	§  Body Awareness §  Listening §  Visual Awareness
Ribbon or Scarf Play	Hold the scarf or ribbon) 8-10 inches from baby’s face; slowly move from side to side; move it up and down (near & far); touch to tummy and brush cheek	§  Tactile Stimulation §  Visual Development §  Visual tracking
Dance with Baby	Holding baby, rock, sway and slowly turn around to different kinds of music.  This is great to keep mommy in shape, too!	§  Listening   §  Rhythm §  Social & Emotional         Development
Baby Sit-ups	With baby on her back and on a blanket; grasp edges of blanket on both edges (near top of her head); pull baby up gently, then lower.  Repeat gently to help strengthen baby’s neck muscles.	§  Balance §  Body Awareness §  Upper-body Strength
Mirror	Hold a mirror up so your baby can see his reflection; say his/her name. using normal and fun intonations.  Babies of all ages will love this.	§  Emotional & Social      Development §  Visual Development
Airplane Baby	Holding baby on her stomach along one or both of your arms, and swing gently back and forth as baby practices lifting her head and extending arms.  Adding a song and gentle rhythm is comforting to baby	§  Body Awareness §  Upper-body Strength
Textures & Tickles	Use different textures to tickle baby’s tummy, feet, arms and brush along face.  Try feathers, corduroy, satin, fur, burlap, metal, and bumpy plastic.	§  Social Development §  Tactile Stimulation
Blanket Swing	Lay baby on his back on a small blanket.  With a partner holding two corners and you holding the other two corners, GENTLY swing baby side to side, up and down.  Singing or chanting at the same time will add to baby’s enjoyment.	§  Trust & Emotional      Development §  Upper-body strength §  Social Development
Where’s the Toy?	Show baby a brightly colored toy and SLOWLY move it back & forth in front of her field of sight.  Not too far, or baby will think the toy no longer exists and will lose interest.	§  Visual Tracking          §  Object permanence
Diaper Time Play	“Bottoms up; what do I see? Clean baby, happy baby, 1-2-3” Make diaper changing fun and full of language.	§  Language awareness §  Social & emotional §  Body awareness