Soweto Connection

Photos illustrating Raphael Centre's work

We'd like to share an email we got today from one of our partners, Power of Women and Children. They operate a small daycare centre in Tshepisong, a township Northwest of Johannesburg. Mufumbe writes:

Dear John,

I would like to inform you that PWC has a new baby boy aged 7 to 8 months brought by the police. The abandonned child was found aroung Bramfish 3 kms from Tshepisong, a child dumped by the mother, found near a small marsh. We have named him Sihle Molefe ..., Sihle means gift. We are waiting for the social workers to come back from holidays and together with the police to lodge the matter to court and once the case is finalized then the child will be PWC legal child.

Thank you to everyone who came out to support our Table Quiz in Bobby Byrne's on Thursday November 29th, or who donated remotely from this website.

.It was a really fun night, with intense competition. Despite being neck and neck for most of the second half, Pat Hayes' team from Coláiste Chiaráin  stretched away at the end as a worthy winner.

Raphael Centre hand out food parcels

We have received an urgent request from Annalie van Niekerk who is the director of one our partner groups, the Raphael Centre in Grahamstown. They are in dire financial difficulty and as a result there is a serious danger that they will have to end the services they provide.

Annelie says

Soweto Connection is delighted to participate in the University of Limerick's President's Volunteer Awards this year. We're hoping to gather a group of enthusiastic and imaginative students to put together some fun and effective fundraising events in the first semester. It's a great way to meet new friends, have fun, help a good cause and build up your cv.

If you'd like to be involved, please email your name and course to sheila.killian@ul.ie  We hope to get this moving in the next two weeks. 

As part of his solo row across the Atlantic Ocean in 2010, Irishman Sean McGowan raised a staggering €23,178 for Soweto Connection and their partner Philani in South Africa.

Soweto Connection has been raising funds for South African groups helping people affected by AIDS for almost 10 years.