Sibanye
In 2010, Red Clay was introduced to a team of young South Africans who were invited to the U.S. as part of a youth exchange program. They returned to South Africa with a strong sense of purpose to serve their communities so that other children could have the same opportunity. Since they belong to the Xhosa tribe, we selected the Xhosa word “Sibanye” (meaning “we are one”) as the name of this global mission. Unathi Mlisa is the leader of our team “on the ground” in South Africa. Mrs. Bono, who runs a women’s foundation called SEKI in Port Elizabeth, is also a key member of the team. In 2011, a Red Clay team traveled to the Eastern Cape of South Africa to begin developing our mission. The original mission was to help educate orphaned children in that area. So we decided to build reading rooms and stock them with books – in English, Xhosa (their native language), and Afrikaans – and provide teachers to assist with homework. Since its inception, the Sibanye mission team has created six reading rooms in five locations, stocking them with over 1,500 books. When the global economic crisis hit, we realized that these children needed more than just educational assistance. Many of them were not receiving adequate nutrition, so we expanded our mission to assist with the purchase of food. By providing Mrs. Bono with funding, we are able to help to feed many of the orphaned children in the township around SEKI. When we started this food program, we were able to help feed about 50 children. Today, we are helping Mrs. Bono feed about 150 children with our quarterly donation.
Masihambe!
