We continue to keep Sharron Dinnie and all members of the Kwasa community in our prayers.
Holy Trinity & St Mary's connection with Kwasa began in 2001. Click on the logo above to read the full story.
Easter update
All the children are now back at school. Classes have been split in half to cope with Covid-19 distancing regulations, so that each child receives two full days of school per week. Progress on the 'white building' has kept spirits buoyant and new paths have been laid between many of the school buildings.
A lasting legacy
The effect of previous visits to Kwasa, on both adults and youth, is still very evident and profound. We are all called to grow in a life of service, prayer and faith and we want to be a parish community that welcomes, grows and challenges young people and adults to explore their skills and discover how best they can serve, and be a gift to the future. Whether in Junior Church or the choirs, the young learn stories of our faith, and learn to worship. Our visits to Kwasa have been opportunities for the whole parish, whether travelling or not, to participate in this visionary project.
Click on the photo above for the story in words and pictures.
To see captions in the album click on a photo and scroll through to see more.
The story of the 'white building'
In 2003, when Robert Cotton first visited Kwasa, the entrance to the site was dominated by a vast, dilapidated structure. He remembers 'a broken-down building with junkies and alcoholics drinking home-made liquor, past which all children and staff had to walk day by day to reach the sanctuary of school'.
Now in 2021 that same building is home to a school hall with sound and lighting system, an IT room, offices and reception, and a clinic for the use of both the College and the local community. The story behind this transformation, the result of vision and determination, is told here in words and pictures.
The Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra performs in the 'white building'
On April 9th the Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra came to visit Kwasa. A narrator introduced the various instruments and ‘told’ the story of Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf. The children were spellbound and the orchestra full of compliments about their behaviour. The concert finished with the National Anthem.
Sharron said, ‘I sat at the back of the hall during the performance, not able to hold back tears – it was such a BIG moment for me – thinking of everyone who has made it possible for these children to have this kind of exposure and experience’.
The College is still working on a daily rotation programme, so half of the children were not at school last Friday, but the orchestra has offered to return to perform for them! So very generous – they all used their own transport to reach Kwasa – and so much appreciated.
Kwasa College's Student Sponsorship Scheme
This scheme is operated in the UK by the West Green Charitable Trust. It enables individuals or companies to pay the school fees of a student whose parents, carers or child-headed family cannot afford to pay. The scheme operates on a monthly giving of £25, which with Gift Aid covers the R6,600 fees for one student.
Details of how to join the scheme are given here and West Green's latest newsletter is available here.
