With NGOs around the world closing down by the thousands, it is no small feat to have grown Pebbles Project over the last 10 years to a successful and reputable NPO. Sophia Warner and her team have done wonders and have made a difference in thousands of children's lives.
Reporting back at their AGM, the Pebbles' income has increased exponentially since its inception, going from just R500 000 in 2006, to over R5 million in 2014!
This is a great achievement and because it is a well run organisation, with a very passionate and hard-working team, more and more reputable companies are supporting Pebbles. In the last year alone CIPLA, one of South Africa's largest pharmaceutical companies has installed their pilot state-of-the-art clinic (OWETHU Clinic) at Villiera for farm workers and their children to use, and the inaugural Cape Wine Auction held this year raised over R7m, of which R1m has been donated to Pebbles.
Pebbles has become the charity of choice for many well-known companies, viz Distell, WOSA, KWV, JF Hillebrand, Marks and Spencer, Villiera Wine Farm, Nederburg Auction, and recently Graff Diamond's FACET Foundation has come on board to sponsor their Mobile Learning Centres - 2 buses, equipped with laptops and books.
Tim Atkin, well-known UK Wine judge/professional has just climbed Mount Ararat (all 5,137m of it) for Pebbles Project 'because I want to raise money for a vital charity in SA'
Also, every winners at the recent Standard Bank Chenin Top 10 Competition will be donating their prize money of R20 000 to The Pebbles Project. More on that in a different article.
South Africa's young democracy is but 20 years old, and with so many issues to address, we are lucky to have Pebbles making a big difference in the winelands, giving children and their parents opportunities which many of us take for granted.
In 2004, The Pebbles Project was founded by Sophia Warner, who came out from the UK to see what life was like in South Africa. She was a teacher and on noticing the devastating impact which foetal alcohol syndrome had on the children in the winelands, she decided to start Pebbles. It has been a tough and difficult road, starting with creches on farms and working with farm owners and their workers to find solutions. As Sophia says: 'We recognise the importance of supporting a whole community rather than a child in isolation.'
Pebbles has broadened its initial focus from just FAS (Foetal Alcohol Syndrome) and now its energies are channelled into the following 5 pillars:
- Education
800 children are being supported by their Early Childhood Development(ECD), After-School Club (ASC) and Special Educational Needs programmes.
- Health
This year saw the launch of the CIPLA foundation OWETHU Clinic - generously hosted on Villiera. This clinic is state-of-the-art and provides farm worker communties with access to quality medical services, dental care and healthcare education. These services are completely free for children aged 0-18. This facility opened its doors in Feb 2014, and also has a fully equipped onchology department
- Community
The Entrepreneurship Business Management Course offered by Pebbles had 4 students participating this year (it is a full year course) and will be graduating this year.
The Parent Training course equipped 598 parents with positive parenting skills, HIV / AIDS awareness, and they also benefitted from their Substance Abuse parent programme.
Many Volunteers assist Pebbles and they successfully ran a Sexuality Program and an 'happy and healthy relationship' program at the ASC.
One ASC facility was renovated to accommodate an additional 10 students.
- Nutrition
Giving children a solid nutritional start definitely has a positive impact on their physical, mental and social development, which continues with them for their entire lifetime. Their 'Food for Thought' program was started and a generous donor enabled Pebbles to provide 250 children in their ECD (Early Childhood Development) program with breakfast, lunch and two nutritious snacks daily. There is much on the cards for the future with nutrition in mind.
- Protection
This is an integral part of the work that Pebbles does. Strong family units and healthy communities foster a sense of safety in the children which is essential for optimal learning to take place. The Social Worker assist 66 clients in the last year, ranging from susbstance abuse to domestic violence and more. There are many more activities in this field and the success of this progreamme is evident. The number of reported cases who seek assistance with substance abuse has increased dramatically - mainly due to the trust developed between the Social Worker and the communities they serve.
Simon Grier of Villiera has been a stalwart supporter and is always available to assist. Villiera has been incredibly generous - providing space on their farm for the CIPLA OWETHU Clinic, renovated and provided a house for Pebbles to use for their administrative offices, and also recently cleared out office space in an unused loft for the FACET organistation to operate from.
Sophia's passion shines through; 'Watch this space in the next 10 years - you will see a Special Needs School which we will be reporting on in 2024!'
You too could get involved and make a difference - just SPONSOR A CHILD - go to www.pebblesproject.co.za
Wine.co.za is proud to be associated with Pebbles and we wish them all of the best for the next 10 years.