Lula Isandla

The end of year normally induces panic amongst the corproartions of the world as their marketing departments seek to laud each other with gifts to thank their respective managament teams for past and future business. Sony Ericsson took a different stance in 2008. They asked the people who would normally receive such gifts to rather choose a worthy cause to which Sony Ericsson would contribute on their behalf. Lula Isandla was one such cause. As a result Lula Isandla benefited to the tune of R45 000. We could not be more grateful.

Furthermore, they also contributed 10 handsets to the people involved at Lula Isandla to facilitate efficient communication. Again, all are extremely grateful, and a little gobsmacked at the generosity.

Bradford McCormack and Associates have contributed significantly to Lula Isandla. In hearing that the food for the 175 children is prepared on a single 4-plate stove, and a 2-plate gas cooker in a communal kitchen, the people at BMA decided that they would help.

A significant contribution has been handed over to Lula Isandla to build a new kitchen. This is no small contribution. The entire focus of Lula Isandla is to provide food so that these children will be able to function better in their lives. The new kitchen will go a long way to increasing the number of children that we are able to assist. It will make the entire initiative more sustainable. The contribution does not satisfy immediate needs (fortunately we have other who are contributing to that) but puts in place a massive building block (pun intended) for the future of Lula Isandla.

It is for this we thank Bradford McCormack and Associates. Again and again we thank them.

Bradford McCormack and Associates have been in the property consultancy game for over 20 years. The organization offers clients the full spectrum of property related services, including commercial and industrial leasing, investment sales, tenant representation and property asset management. Our experience in local markets, coupled with our relationships with all the major local, and many international, property companies and our huge investment in our human capital ideally places us to provide our clients with first class services in all aspects of our consultancy.

Such has been the response from the local farmers and distributors around Mpophomeni, the chefs at Lula Isandla decided that it would be best if there was a freezer to store the extra food. A request was included in the July 2009 Newsletter for a freezer. Within 24 hours we had received 4 responses. One of these was from Murray at Bosch.

Bosch have donated an upright freezer to Lula Isandla. They have delivered it too.

Roberto decided to run the Comrade Marathon. what exactly possessed him when this decision was made? No-one knows, but there is perhaps a suspicion that a beer was involved!

Nonetheless, this year - 2009 - is the second successive year that Roberto is running the Comrades; and for the second successive year he has asked his friends, acquantainces and colleagues to sponsor him through his troubles. In 2008 he collected and contributed £600 to Lula Isandla.

Roberto has built a site that manages his contributions and sponsorhip details. Go have a look: http://www.bellavista-photo.com/comrades.php?event=start

Not only is Lula Isandla grateful to Roberto for what he has done, but we are grateful to all those who have sponsored him through his little bit of madness. It also through Roberto that Lula Isandla has found friends in Europe; friends who have and continue to contribute to a little initiative in Mpophomeni.

I have never met Takunda. I only know of him through a friend of a friend.

He decided to run the Comrades Marathon. He decided that someone else should benefit from this exertion. I asked him to explain how he came to find Lula Isandla, and he came to raise funds for us:

Up until September last year I had not run more than 21km (which I ran once 5 years prior in Knysna). I am built for short distances and I have also had two reconstructive surgeries on my right knee. So when my former work colleagues from the Citigroup trading floor heard me announce that I was going to attempt the Comrades: a betting frenzy erupted that I can only compare with a selling frenzy that was going to take place two months later as the whole world was realising that the financial markets were in meltdown! Within three days a sizeable amount of money had been put up on the 'Big Trade Board' (a board mainly used to display our big deals). The bet was whatever one felt was appropriate for me making the start (because of the qualifying marathon requirement), and whatever one felt was appropriate for me making the finish. The final total was in the region of R70 000.

I felt that it would be appropriate and motivational to donate the proceeds of this bet to a charity. I spoke to a friend of mine Lisa King, who told me what Claire was doing in the Midlands. I was very touched by what Lula Isandla were doing, and after chatting to Claire very inspired.

After 6 months of training and completing the Pretoria marathon and Two Oceans 56km I felt my preparation had been adequate. But nothing could prepare me for the lonely challenge that lay ahead as my training partner, and very close friend, Amos had been forced to pull out with an ITB injury after the Two Oceans. At the halfway point I was looking at an 11hr finish, however, as the race continued I lost track of time and my body began to give in to the pain, and at 45th Cutting with 7km to go I needed to run at 6min/km. The dark cloud hung over me as I realised that I was up against it!

I made it to the 86km mark as the 12hr cut of time struck. I was really disappointed about not finishing and not getting the children the full sum of the bet. But a friend of mine sent me the following quote from Theodore Roosevelt and it made me realise what i had achieved:

"It's not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or when the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions and spends himself in a worth cause; who at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement; and who at the worst if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory or defeat."

Theodore Roosevelt

The efforts of people like this is what makes Lula Isandla work.