What is so incredible about this is that, that it is purely a staff initiative! This takes “helping from the heart” to an entirely new level.

FNB staff handing over a cheque to Joan Smith: Tracy Jacobs, Rehana Shaik, Pravesh Rajcoomar, Vinay Singh, Preega Govender, Gerard Moerdyk, Shaneil Andhee, Daren Moodley, Anand Deodand, Thiru Govender, Pravin Singh (not in picture Beulah Snyman) making a difference at LIV Village.

Not content with just handing over the money, they then used the opportunity to do a working day on the Village. We had bank managers and staff from across KZN come and lend a hand. From laying out and planting a sensopathic garden, covering library books and then sorting through old books to finally assembling a jungle gym for us. All of this in the blazing sun and humidity and not a murmur or moan! What an amazing group of people willing to serve the orphans and widows of our province.

Thank you for your commitment to changing a nation FNB. Helping to rescue – restore – raise and release our stars!

TOGETHER WE CAN

Valentino & Gogo

Her story has not always been one of hope and promise. Her mother passed away in a car accident when Valentino was the tender age of 5, and her father ran away leaving her in the care of her grandmother.

A extract from a letter written to the Rector of the University of the Free State by Valentino “Life went on, with her grandma by her side, little Valentino looked forward to everyday with confidence and still a bit of hope that her family’s horrendous situation will change for the better. And it did, in 2006, when she joined the Indlela organization’s Back-2–School programme. At first, it was as if a tiny ray of hope shone upon her life and as time went by: it was if the skies had opened up. From then on she went to school knowing that her educational needs were taken care of. It is never easy beating the odds and the trying to break the cycle of misery. The people at Lungisani Indlela organization have been a great inspiration and her motivation to be not the a better person but the best that she can be”

Prof. (JD) Jonathan Jansen – the Rector of the University of the Free State has offered Valentino a Four year bursary to pursue her dreams of studying journalism. As we took Valentino and her Gogo up to the university to register and get settled in, we realised that not only had her life changed dramatically – so had ours! By meeting this remarkable woman of courage whose faith and believe in God has been an inspiration to all who meet her.

Should you be interested in being a sponsor for The Back-2-School Programme for Lungisani Indlela you are most welcome to contact Lorraine or call 031 505 8811.

Keegan Daniels visits the LIV Village and spends time with the kids

Our LIV School students are avid Sharks fans and anticipate that one day they will be going to watch a game with Keegan captaining the Sharks at Kingspark Stadium.

We had the privilege of joining the mothers and children for Christmas lunch in the first cluster, with John and Sue Rich and their 2 children and joined by our daughter, Kate, Curtis and our 2 grandsons.

The ‘banquet’ prepared by our 11 mothers was an incredible feast. The 27 children had a day they will never forget. Their presents were placed under the tree and they had to wait an agonising 3 hours before they were allowed to open them.

After lunch they dressed up and marched/danced to the beat of Mama Angel’s drum, and presented us with gifts from them and the mothers, finishing with the song ‘I am not forgotten, God knows my name..’

We will never forget our first Christmas with the mothers and children.
We marvel at the transformation, already visible, that God is doing in these young lives.

As we soaked up the atmosphere that day and gave thanks to our heavenly Father for sending His Son, Jesus, into this dying world to save us and these incredibly precious children, we knew that all the hard work is so worth it just to see each happy, shining face and know, beyond any shadow of doubt, that there is a Father in Heaven who loves us.
He is crying out for His church to rescue every vulnerable and hurting child, restore them in love, and raise them up to become stars who will go out and shine brightly for His Glory.

We have never felt more ‘alive’ as we did on Christmas day 2011. We will continue to build villages and build lives until He takes us home.

We thank all of you, our LIV friends and loyal supporters. We hope you have had a wonderful Christmas season with your family and friends and we take this opportunity to pray for many blessings and good health for you in 2012.

Together we can

Tich and Joan

The kids were truly astounded at the amazing marine life we saw in the aquarium… sharks, stingrays, and a multitude of other beautiful fish. We also got to catch the dolphin show where we saw Gambit do some wonderful tricks!

The kids could hardly wait to get in the water though, and this was the highlight of the trip. Everyone ventured down the slides, and had to be dragged out to eat their lunch! Back in the water they went and they splashed around until it was time to go.

Not one eye was open on the way home as this fun-filled day had exhausted everyone!

Dudu

All our mothers have testimonies of bravery and tenacity. They have given their all to love and care for the children coming to LIV.

This week, I want to tell you about Dudu…

As we receive the names, ages and general information of each child referred to us, we pray and ask God to guide our thoughts – to show us His chosen mother for each child.

Last week as I was praying over the list, my eyes went to the 2 cerebral palsy children who we have been asked to take into the village. At present they are in the Starfish babies home where they have been for the past 3 years. There is nowhere for them to go. My thoughts went back to the many times Tich and I have said “God is going to give us the children that nobody else wants”. I felt that this was a defining moment.

We have often spoken about our vision to rescue children, restore lives, raise leaders and release stars. Here were 2 children who are unable to give anything back, unable to communicate.

As I looked at their names, Mama Dudu came into my mind. My next thought was ‘Lord how could I even ask this of anyone, especially Dudu’. You see, Dudu had a cerebral palsy daughter who died at the age of 10. She went through the pain and trauma of bringing up a child who was physically damaged. This would not be fair on anyone, but especially Dudu.

Try as I may, the thought never left me. I finally called her but had no answer. I sent her a message and asked her if she would consider taking these 2 children and to pray about it. I panicked and called Mama Angel. I told her what had happened and asked her what she thought and if she would go and pray with Dudu. Angel reminded me about what Dudu had already been through. This was the hard part as I felt that God was showing me that what she went through with her daughter qualified her to care of these children. Angel wasn’t convinced.

Not long after, I received this reply from Dudu: “Hi Mom, I’ve received your message and I’m so touched because I had a dream about those kids a few days ago. They are the kids of my heart I truly believe that!”

On Friday Dudu went to meet her 2 children at Starfish. When she saw the boy she went silent, opened her bag and pulled out a photograph of her late daughter. The physical likeness was astounding. They look like brother and sister. Everyone wept as they saw…

How great is our God who is in every little detail and who confirms His word time and time again. To say we serve an awesome God just doesn’t cut it. We have seen Him go before us and prepare the hearts of the mothers to receive the children He has chosen for them. Each one has a story.

I remember so clearly, during their training, how they said they were ‘pregnant’ and that they would know their children. We are living this out daily. These mothers ‘know’….

May you all be blessed as you read Dudu’s story. We ask that you pray for the mothers, and especially for Dudu, that our Lord Jesus will give them/her His love, grace and strength each day. Fresh manna from heaven.

Together we can
Joan

© Photo courtesy of northcoastcourier.co.za

It was a celebration that none of us will forget, as government officials, business men and women, church leaders, friends, and our VIPs, the children, came together to celebrate and give thanks to God for what He has done. He has brought us together and shown us what we can do when we work, shoulder to shoulder, to transform broken lives.

The Premier of KZN, Dr Zweli Mkhize, had to meet Prince Charles, and his entourage, during the time of the official proceedings, but was able to come earlier and spend 2 hours of precious quality time with the children and the mothers. They sang and danced for him, along with our farm workers, who did a very professional rendition of the Gumboot Dance. The children then took him on a tour of their homes, proudly showing him their beds and toys, and their school. We had to coax him away from a very serious game of cards with our little 4 year old girl, who ‘stole the show’, and the other children, who were teaching him how to play, and after viewing their classrooms, hamsters, silkworms and other projects, they planted a tree together. This was indeed a very special time. He addressed the press and reiterated the government’s commitment to this unique partnership between government, business and the church, to complete this village and then roll them out across the province. Here are some lovely photo’s of the event.

The children were outstanding as they sang and danced their hearts out, alongside their mothers, in front of a packed marquee of over 600 guests. Between their performance and Tich’s speech, there wasn’t a dry eye that day.

Our MC for the day was well known children’s TV presenter, storyteller, playwright and songwriter, Gcina Mhlope. She was a perfect fit as she engaged with the guests and especially the children, who she referred to as the real VIPs. She commented that ‘children’ was the password for her to be there because of her love for them. She presented LIV with copies of her children’s books and CDs she has written and produced, and committed to coming back to spend time with them once the library is built, to give them a hunger and thirst for reading and learning. We were honoured to have her as our MC.

Tich took us on a journey of where it all started to where we are today. He thanked all the LIV partners for their support, and for taking a risk with us.

Ms Maggie Govender, MEC for housing, spoke on behalf of the Premier, and reiterated their support for LIV and their belief in this model being the solution for the orphan crisis we face as a province and nation.

Our new mayor, James Nuxmalo, attended and was very encouraged by what he saw and would want the city to become more involved with the village. They have approved a grant of 5 million rand to build a factory which will be used to train, skill and employ many people from the neighbouring community.

After the speeches everyone enjoyed lunch and a tour of the homes and school buildings.

It was truly a day to remember. Another milestone in the life of LIV.
Together we can.

“The LIV Village concept went live on Friday 4 November, a charity that is close to the hearts of The Sharks whose “Making a Difference” campaign has contributed towards this organisation’s development.

The Premier of KwaZulu Natal, Dr Zweli Mkhize and the First Lady of KwaZulu Natal, Dr May Mashego-Mkhize, officially opened the Lungisisa Indlela Village in Cottonlands, near Verulem in northern Durban on Friday afternoon in front of a huge gathering of interested visitors and contributors.

The success of the LIV Village, and indeed its future development, is bound to a partnership between Government, Business and the Church, all successfully working together to make this dream a reality.

The first 16 homes have complete, each with mothers in residence, giving care, love and guidance to orphaned children. The LIV School is also now in operation providing education to their first group of children. At the opening, visitors were given the opportunity to tour the village including the newly-completed homes and the school.

Sharks activities during the course of the year also have a strong commitment to social issues. Funds raised are given to causes close to the players’ hearts and over the course of 2010 and 2011 and at the annual Sharks Ladies Breakfast, a total of R100 000 was raised and donated to LIV to help start and grow their outstanding work.

LIV exists to raise the next generation of leaders in our nation. They place vulnerable, parentless children into a family environment where they receive unconditional love, spiritual discipleship, care and nurturing with the core vision to rescue a child – restore a life – raise a leader – release a star.”

Link to the original article here: http://www.sharksrugby.co.za/news/Making_a_Difference

You can still register on-line or email admin@liv-village.com.

We have ‘hosts’ registered in the UK, USA, Norway, Australia, Holland, Switzerland and South Africa.

As you know, in April 2010 LIV hosted a banquet for 4000 guests at the ICC Durban. This was a very special night and many have asked us when we were going to do another banquet.

Out of the success of this banquet, which has enabled us to build the first village, the idea of a night of 1000 banquets was birthed. We knew we couldn’t do a banquet each year on our own, but together, around the world, we could ‘invite’ many more guests and get many more friends on board, through you, our LIV friends and supporters, if each of you had a LIV ‘banquet’ in your homes.

Viruses are spreading around the world that bring sickness and disease. The LIV vision is to spread positive viruses that bring healing and wholeness to many lives through an annual night of 1000 banquets. (next year the night of 1000 banquets will be held on 16th June which is Youth Day in South Africa).

This, our first year, we hope to reach up to 100 banquets on the 5th. Some of you have registered and invited friends for dinner, breakfast, lunch. Others are having a banquet at your church with many more attending.

Everything has small beginnings. 14 years ago our vision of building a village was to have maybe 6 to 10 homes with a little church in the middle and help transform a group of children. We had no idea what God had in mind for LIV. We also know that it is His plan that hundreds, then thousands, and millions, of ordinary people like us, get involved and help ‘as they are able’.

Our vision is to one day have 1000 banquets on one night around the world. This year if we get 100 banquets going and each one invites on average 6 guests, and those 600 sign up to have their own LIV banquet in 2012, we can reach our goal of 1000 banquets in one year.

Imagine 10 years from now, as this ‘virus’ spreads, by 2020 there could be more than 65 million banquets worldwide, if only 4 new guests sign up at each banquet, and get on board! Now that is one serious epidemic!

Together we could feed and educate millions of children in thousands of villages, all for the cost of a meal. This brings new meaning to the scripture “where there is unity God commands a blessing”!

Together we ARE the solution. Together we CAN rescue every vulnerable child, restore their brokenness, raise them to become future leaders, and release stars, who, in turn, will make a difference in the lives of future generations and change the face of our nation, continent and indeed, the world.

We ask you to get on board, invite a few friends and spread the virus. God is in the business of multiplication and He always chooses the ‘ordinary’ to do extraordinary things. Even Bill Gates started in his garage.

Together we can!
Tich and Joan

Our 6 mothers and children in residence are doing really well and settling into village life.

Kids playing

The mothers are daily tending the vegetable garden which is already harvesting spinach.

LIV recycling is working well. The wormery is ensuring that most of our food and paper waste is not going into black bags and the families are playing their part for the environment by dividing all other waste products into paper/plastic, tin and glass. Cardboard and paper is also recycled and used in the school.

The next 8 houses in the 2nd cluster are being furnished and equipped for the next batch of mothers who will be moving in next weekend. Our resident mothers have been hanging curtains, and cleaning these homes, getting them ready to welcome the new mothers.

We are waiting for the arrival of 11 children who have been referred to us through Child Welfare.

Mothers preparing the new homes

The LIV school has moved out of the red house and into their new prefab school facilities which was donated to LIV by WBHO Construction. The building has 3 classrooms, a kitchen and toilet facilities. The children love their new premises. It is so special to see them walking to school together.

Construction is in full swing on the renovations of the 2 sheds which will give us a further 7 classrooms, a library, computer room, change rooms, school hall and office space.

The soccer field in front of these sheds is being laid and the platforms for the next 6 clusters are being dug. The road from the bottom of the farm is being repaired and will be the new entrance to the village.

Building of soccer field with ploughing of veg garden in background

The Department of Agriculture have started ploughing 7 hectares of the wetlands to plant banana trees, potatoes and maize. They will also be rebuilding the dam.

We want to thank you, our LIV friends, all for your continued support, encouragement and prayers.
Together we can rescue and restore broken young lives, raise them to be all that God intended them to be, and release stars that will make a difference in this nation and continent.

Tich & Joan