Our Christmas party was filled with colour, excitement, and plenty of joy. Thank you to everyone who helped us fill the goodie bags. We always try to include something they want, something they need, something to wear, and something to read, and your generosity made that possible again this year.

A special thanks to Coronation for the awesome t-shirts and to the Clicks Helping Hand Trust for the toothbrushes, toothpaste, body lotion, soap, and sanitary pads for our girls. We’re also grateful to Ryan Boon for the delicious boeries, Sir Fruit for the juices, HCI Foundation and Golden Arrow Bus Services for transporting our children and Trendy Trees for bringing Christmas to life with their magnificent tree.

Thank you to all the parents, Old Boys, Herschel girls, and Prep boys who came to help on the day. And a special mention to the six Grade 4 boys who baked chocolate-chip biscuits for our children. Their kindness at such a young age is a great indication of the young men they’ll become.  Last but not least, thank you to our special partners Bishops without whom this special day could not happen. 

It’s been a strong year of rugby for our Under 9 to Under 13s. The children trained hard, played in competitive fixtures, and grew in confidence every week. We’re grateful to 10X and OMAI for backing the programme, and to the HCI Foundation and Golden Arrow Bus Services for making sure our children get to practices and matches safely.

A special thank you to the Stormers and Leinster the visiting touring teams who spent time with our players this year. These moments mean more than you know. Being on the field with professional athletes and international teams gives our children role models who inspire them to aim higher and believe in what’s possible.

Our ECD programme has been full of small but meaningful moments this year. The children at all three centres have shown tremendous growth in confidence, language, and early numeracy skills, and our new facilitators are settling in well. We’re grateful to Mercedes Artigue and Lusanda Stemele from PPG for training and supporting our team as they take on this work.

A special thank you to the Bishops parent group, the ECD Angels, who bring warmth, care, fun, and games to the children at Likhwezi every week. Their presence has created a space where the children feel seen, supported, and excited to learn. Thank you to all our ECD Angels and volunteers for your generosity, energy and heart. To join this inspiring journey, please reach out to Aoife Doherty or Bryony Bruce

We also want to acknowledge Tata Lungile Moferi, our tuk-tuk library facilitator, who has taken the programme even further by offering weekend story sessions at a community facility in Gugulethu. His commitment has opened a new doorway to reading for children beyond Langa.

Our nutrition programme continued to strengthen the foundation of every child’s day. Thanks to the Lunchbox Fund and Shoprite Act for Change, we were able to serve hot, nutritious meals that kept our children focused, energised and ready to learn.

A special thank you to Daniswa and Bukelwa in the kitchen. Their care and consistency turn every meal into more than food. It’s comfort, energy and love on a plate. Their work sits at the heart of our longer-term vision for the Sun Diner – a space that, once renovated and equipped, will not only nourish our children but also offer training and income-generating opportunities for the community.

We’re also grateful to Chip n Dip and to the many schools and organisations who have treated our children to meals and snacks throughout the year. Your support has brought joy, dignity and full tummies to so many days.

A simple pair of shoes can make a real difference, and our children felt that this week thanks to the generosity of the Bishops Prep boys and the Herschel matric class.

The Prep boys collected and donated tackies in excellent condition, and after writing their final exams, the Herschel matrics handed over their school shoes before heading off on their next adventure.

It’s something many of us don’t think twice about, but for our children, having a comfortable, reliable pair of shoes means walking to school with confidence and showing up ready to learn and play.

We’re grateful to the Bishops and Herschel communities for thinking of VUSA in such a practical and thoughtful way.

The library has become one of the happiest corners of our programme this year. Thanks to the families from Bishops Prep and Pre-Prep who collected more than nine thousand books, we were able to refresh the shelves and create a warm reading nook where children can imagine, learn and settle after a busy day.

We are grateful to Capitec Bank, Asset Matrix, Mike Teke and an anonymous donor whose support made it possible to employ a librarian, furnish the space, complete renovations and strengthen our library systems and database. The Chahwahwa family and Stodels also helped transform the outdoor area into a calm, beautiful garden that will continue to grow into a full library garden.

As we always say, when many people come together, magical things happen. This space now feels like home for our children - calm, curious and full of possibility.

This term we were delighted to welcome the Coronation trustees to VUSA to see the Digibus programme in action and to share lunch at our new hub.  We are incredibly grateful to Coronation and the Atlas Foundation for another year of committed support. Their belief in our work continues to open real opportunities for our young participants.

We also need to be realistic about the challenge we face. We are reaching children too late. By the time they arrive on the Digibus, many are still trying to grasp the basics of English, a language they are suddenly expected to use for all learning from Grade 4 onwards. Without strong early-language foundations, they fall further behind every year.

This is why the Supportive Empowering Educational Development (SEED) programme is so important. It has shown a remarkable impact at Project Playground, and we will be piloting it in our after-school programme in 2026.  Our goal is to raise R1.5 million per year for three years to take SEED into all five primary schools in Langa to support learners from Grade R - Grade 3. Over 4,000 children will benefit, with the funding going almost entirely to the salaries and training of 16 trained facilitators.

If we can build this foundation early, the Digibus can finally support learners at the level they should be, rather than having to start English from scratch. This is the shift that we believe will change the trajectory for thousands of children.

At VUSA, our staff are central to everything we do. This year, we continued to invest in their development to ensure they are equipped to guide, inspire and support every child. All staff completed First Aid certification, reinforcing our commitment to safe and structured environments.

New coaching staff completed their Boksmart, Level 1 and all coaches attended a referee course. They were also fortunate to attend the Playbook Ed Coaches Summit, gaining fresh insights into leadership, high-performance culture and fostering confidence in every child. A workshop on children’s behaviour was also delivered, helping staff across all departments establish consistent approaches and strengthen support for our learners.

These initiatives reflect our belief that investing in people drives impact. By developing our team, we create a culture of consistency, care and ambition, where every child can thrive.

This term, our social worker brought families together for the final parent event of the year, creating a space for dialogue, reflection, and connection. Parents shared experiences, gained insights, and left with renewed confidence to support their children, highlighting the ripple effect that meaningful social development has across our community.

We are especially grateful to the Mitchell family whose generous support funds our social worker, allowing us to reach the families who need it most. We also thank the Bishops Support Unit for standing alongside our social worker and wider VUSA team, offering guidance, resources, and encouragement wherever it is needed. Together, these partnerships ensure that our work extends beyond the classroom, strengthening families and nurturing a community where every child can grow with support and care.

Our Under 12 and 13s had a fantastic end-of-year outing at Rush Claremont this week. The staff were excellent; welcoming, attentive, and quick to get the kids involved and the children enjoyed every part of the experience. It was a chance for them to test themselves, have fun together, and make a few last memories before our Under 13s graduate from the programme.

We’re grateful to Rush Claremont for hosting us and for creating an environment where the children could enjoy being active and confident. It was a strong finish to the year, and we appreciate their support.

ActiveOps, GB7s & Global Connections for Good

Our partnership with ActiveOps continues to create opportunities that reach far beyond Langa. Through their collaboration with GB7s and the Try for Good campaign, VUSA was able to renovate our new computer lab, a space that supports digital learning for hundreds of children each week.

ActiveOps invited us to London to speak at the Capacity25 conference about this partnership and the impact it has had on our programme. It was a reminder of what can happen when organisations use their platforms to lift others. It also gave us the chance to meet expat South Africans who feel deeply connected to home and are looking for meaningful ways to contribute.

For those living abroad who want to support this work, our GlobalGiving page offers a simple, secure and tax-deductible way to give in both the US and the UK. Every donation helps us expand opportunities for children and continue building spaces, like the computer lab, where learning and confidence can grow.