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Congratulations Viola!


The Grootbos Foundation would like to congratulate Viola on passing all of her exams!

Viola Siyotywa has completed her Higher Diploma in Adult Basic Education and Training at the College of Human Sciences.  This Diploma enables her to teach and train adults.

Viola started as a Green Futures student in 2006 and has since become a facilitator in both the Green Futures and Growing the Future projects!

In a recent letter to her benefactor, Viola said:

“It is a pleasure for me to get the chance to write to you again. My year was fantastic.

I have enjoyed myself being studying and working. I feel good about myself for managing to do two things in my life, studying and working. You have supported me a lot. The peers were also very positive to me. They have encouraged me.

As a result I have passed all my assignments during the year. I have worked step by step at a time. On the 18th of October I will be writing my final exams. I’m looking forward to get good results this year as well.

I have got plans for next year. I want to see myself being in a good job and permanently employed. I am seeing myself more empowered and developed in my mind.

I want to pass what I have learnt to the other people, (to teach what I have been taught). If there are more opportunities for me to study further, I will. There are lots of things we can learn. We learn until we die!

I wish to show my appreciation for what you have done.”

Congratulations Viola!  We are so proud of you!

Grootbos Foundation

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Growing the Future, 2010


2010 was an exciting year for us at Growing the Future! We celebrated our first birthday on the 9th of August. The first intake of students also graduated this year. We faced many challenges in the field and in class, many of these we overcame and some that we are still working on at the moment. Changes have also taken place. Our new intake of students will only take place in January 2011. The school year will then fit in with the normal schedule in our country.

Fereshteh Yousefi, a master student from the University of Hohenheim visited us for six months. Apart from doing data collection on the social aspects of the students for her master thesis, she also worked with the students in their daily chores.

The students were fortunate to attend a three day beekeeping workshop at Growing the Future, which was presented by Dominique Marchand, a well-known beekeeper. We also harvested fifty kilograms of pure fynbos honey this year; that is after the baboons and the badger got to the honey before us!

Our soil in our garden is gradually building up by working compost into the soil. Our herbs are doing well in this extreme wind and some of the vegetables have also adapted to our harsh climate. We had some interesting visitors in our garden! The tortoises’ love lettuce and strawberries and the moles love opening up the roots of our plants exposing them to the elements!

An invasion to the chicken coop took place by huge black mole snakes going after the eggs. Fortunately they are easy to catch and not poisonous! We have caught five so far and have released them back into the fynbos. We have planted a big patch of lucerne so that our chickens and pigs, together with the weeds from the garden, so that they can have their greens!

The original piglets we started with have grown into big sows; they all had their first litter of piglets this year, fathered by the proud Balisto!

A big thank you to everyone who has made this year possible!

Jaco Maritz

Growing the Future Project Manager

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Children’s Christmas Celebration


The Football Foundation celebrated an early Christmas with the children from Gansbaai on 2 December. The much anticipated event lived up to every expectation and had many surprises in store for the children and parents.  The evening was opened with words of prayer from Mama Nancy, after which Leán Terblanche held a short talk on the Foundation’s highlights for 2010, and new projects for 2011. The events then proceeded with a Nativity Play acted by 10 of the children; they did a marvelous job in memorizing their words and learning their roles. This was a first for the Foundation and a sure annual event in the future! Achievement certificates were handed out to all regular participants, and 8 proud children received trophies in each sports code for Player of the Year or Most Improved Player. Well done to all our little achievers, and keep up the good work!

To everyone’s surprise, a very special guest visited with bags full of presents for everyone: Santa Claus came to Gansbaai to hand out the gifts himself! Santa said that he had traveled all this way because he heard about the Foundation’s well mannered children and wanted to bring them gifts in person. Thank you Santa, and to all our generous friends and Grootbos guests for helping Santa bring the gifts over!

A special mention of thanks to the following:

Glenda Kitley & her team at the Gansbaai Tourism Centre | Tracey and Linda at Fasttrax for filming & photography

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FIELD GUIDE TO THE FLORA OF GROOTBOS NATURE RESERVE AND THE WALKER BAY REGION by Sean Privett and Heiner Lutzeyer

After many months of hard work and a very long wait, the much anticipated FIELD GUIDE TO THE FLORA OF GROOTBOS NATURE RESERVE AND THE WALKER BAY REGION, by Sean Privett and Heiner Lutzeyer is almost here!

The book describes 410 of the 765 species recorded on the Reserve, with an emphasis on showy plants common in the greater Stanford to Gansbaai region.  Each species is accompanied by a vivid photograph taken by Heiner Lutzeyer as well as its common name, a full description, flowering time, favoured vegetation community, natural distribution range, conservation status where applicable to its use to humans.  The guide also includes an easy to use key for identifying the common tree species of the region, as well as a comprehensive bird list.

We will be launching the book at a cocktail function with Lomond Wines at Grootbos Forest Lodge on Sunday, the 19th of December at 17:00.  Numbers are limited, so booking is essential.  The cost will be R295 per person and R350 per couple.  This includes snacks, drinks and a signed copy of the book!

The funds raised from the event will go the Grootbos Foundation.  For booking please contact reservations@grootbos.co.za or 028 384 8053/71.

This promises to be memorable evening and is a must for any nature lover in the Walker Bay region!

Congratulations Sean and Heiner!  The book is truly beautiful!

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