On the 11th of March 2014 we took a van to Marko to make purchases for Sunflower using YOUR donations! Marko is a warehouse store similar to Costco with an innumerable selection of supplies and children's products. Your donations totaled $580.40. This is AMAZING! Given the exchange rate this is 6.323.46 ZAR. The local currency is South African Rand.

Prior to shopping we asked the head teacher, Eleanor, what resources she believed the crèche needed to enhance learning and engagement. We really wanted to make sure we had her input in order to make purchases that truly enhance the learning environment at Sunflower.

The list was long and detailed (and in purple), see image above. She had many thoughts, most notable was the idea that the crèche did not have proper materials to practice writing skills at the crèche. Once a week the kids walk to a nearby literacy center to learn letters and practice writing for one hour only. Twice I joined the students at this center. Startlingly, one of the 5 year olds I was working with, Blessings, could not decide which hand to write with. The unfortunate reality is that due to a lack of resources at Sunflower this is the only time the students have access to writing materials - one hour each week!

Needless to say we prioritized for and purchased these products: pencils, colored pencils, workbooks that will allow the students to track their progress, enough tables and chairs so that every student has a proper writing space, and 5 individual chalk boards (a more sustainable option).

Again the full list is posted above (in purple). In short, we also bought supplies for crafts (which they were seriously lacking), soap, sanitizer, toilet paper, and wipes to promote cleanliness, cleaning supplies for the crèche, posters that align with upcoming lesson plans (opposites, seasons, senses, vegetables, farm animals, the body), educational dvd's, and two elevated beds for the babies (ages 1-2) so that they no longer lay on mats on the cold cement floor.

Take a look at the photos above. The amount of the bill was 5818.90 ZAR. 504.56 rand, $46.31 USD, remains and will be used for the crèche. More on that later.

We are more than excited to deliver the materials to Sunflower tomorrow! Stay tuned for the next update!