your national heritage vol4 no1
Birth to Twenty would like to wish all the HEROES and their
families a HAPPY NEW YEAR! Many thanks for your continued
support and enthusiasm about the study.
Interestingfacts
Mt Everest is the tallest mountain
in the world.
Wel co m e to th
e ve ry fir st ed
iti on of 20 05 ,
Mt Everest editi
th e
on. I hope you
guys enjoyed th
Christmas hols,
e
and hope you go
t enough rest to
you till the Easter
last
holidays! And be
fore I forget, I wan
to w is h yo u al
t
l th e be st fo r
th e N ew Ye ar
.
Birth to Twenty
is very fortunate
to have gained
support of the fir
the
st black South Af
rican to reach th
highest peak in th
e
e world, Mt Ever
est. Sibusiso Vila
has volunteered
ne
to be a patron fo
r Birth to Twenty
is donating some
and
of the proceeds
from his 2005 cl
to us. Read all ab
im
b
out Sibusiso and
his expedition insid
e.
Since the last ne
wsletter, there ha
ve been lotsa excit
activities and com
ing
petitions. You can
read all about them
inside.
Thank you to all
the Heroes who
have come to the
the competitions
activities and ente
, and congratula
red
tions to the resp
inside).
ective winners (s
ee
Remember to send
us stuff on the fre
e postage addres
to know what yo
s. We are interest
u get up to, wha
ed
t makes you tick
about. We love he
an
d what you’re al
aring from you an
l
d we always resp
Don’t forget to in
ond to the letters
clude your hom
.
e/postal address
when you write
in.
Well, as always,
we look forward
to seeing you an
Good luck in yo
d hearing from yo
ur journey to reac
u.
h your personal
Everest..............
...
Happy climbing
,
Zukiswa and th
eB
t20 Team
Mount Everest is named after Sir
George Everest in 1865, the British
surveyor General of India. Once
known as Peak 15. He was the first
one to record the height and location
of Mt Everest.
The mountain was first climbed
by Sir Edmund Hilary in 1953 via
the South Col Route
The first woman to climb Mt
Everest was Junko Tabei on 16
May 1975 via the South Col
The youngest person to clim Mt
Everest was Temab Tsheri (15) on
22 May 2001, and the oldest was
Sherman Bull (64) on 25 May 2001.
Tom Whittaker became the first
disabled climber to reach summit
on 27 May 1998.
600 is the number of people to
successfully climb Mt Everest.
8 Write to us
We want to hear from you. Tell us all about
the exciting things you are doing and maybe
you could be in BTT Photo Gallery in our next
newsletter. Wait - don’t just write - send us
a poem, a drawing, a short story or anything
you do best. We would love to put these in
the newsletter. Remember, postage is free.
Birth to Twenty
University of the Witwatersrand
Freepost JHZ1320 WITS 2050
BirthtoTwenty
What have THE HEROES been getting up to?
Hector Peterson Museum
8
What’snew
1. The Medical School and
Baragwanath Hospital site
offices now sport a new and
fresh look.
2. Both sites now have a music
system to keep your feet tapping
when you come in for your
appointment
Museum Africa,
Constitutional Hill and SABC
When the plan to visit the Rietvlei
Farm was dampened by the heavy
rain on the 7th and 8th December
2004, we did not lose heart.
Instead, accompanied by six Birth
to Twenty Heroes, we set off to
Museum Africa and Constitutional
Hill on the 7th December. On the
8th December, together with the
second group, we headed for the
glitz and glamour of the SABC
studios. All the venues proved to
be educational and very interesting.
Thank you to all who attended and
the Bt20 staff for their assistance.
Thank you to Museum Africa,
Constitutional Hill and the SABC for
sponsoring the visits.
Hunadi, Shay, Zee, Jackson,
Jerome and Lucky
In celebration of National Heritage Day on the 24th September 2004, nine Bt20
Heroes were taken to visit the Hector Peterson Museum in Soweto. The museum
was erected in the memory of 14 year old Hector Peterson, the first victim to
be killed by the apartheid forces sent to crush the student uprising in 1976.
The Heroes said they had a great time and most importantly they learned new
things about the Soweto uprisings.
Thank you to the Campus Square Pick n Pay for sponsoring the lunch on that
day.
Thabo and Martin
The Barathons
Our main business at Birth to Twenty is to see you and collect information from
you. Without that information, we would not be able to write reports, which
means that we would not be able to get funding, resulting in Birth to Twenty
not functioning. Therefore, in order to ensure that we collect as much information
as possible, the Bara staff has come up with an initiative called the Barathon.
For the Barathons we invite as many as 60 Bara families, and interviews are
conducted at the Bara Hall to accommodate 120 people. If you have come to
one of the two Barathons already, you will know the drill. But for those of you
who haven’t attended, and will still attend, this is how it goes:
On arrival, both you and your caregiver receive a ticket with a number on
it – this is entered into a draw and the winner receives a prize
Your urine specimen is collected, while the caregiver is interviewed
Your caregiver has refreshments and then relaxes and watches TV in the
lapa, while you are busy with your questionnaires, measurements and body
scans
In between the procedures, there are various activities for you to participate
in such as soccer, dancing, face painting or just hanging out, and your
younger siblings can play with the toys provided and draw pictures..................
For lunch, we provide hot dogs and cold drinks
At the end of the day, the prize draw takes place, and if you’re lucky, you
walk away with the one of the great prizes
The prizes of the first two draws were won by Lesego, Sibongile, Yvonne,
Thembisile, Maritha, Margaret Maureen and Angelina. Congratulations, guys!
So if you go to Bara for your interviews, and haven’t come in for your Year 14
appointment, you and your caregiver might be invited to attend the next Barathon,
which is on the 26th February 2005. We look forward to seeing you there!
A special thank you to the Amajika dancers for sponsoring dance lessons at
the last Barathon.
Michelle and the BTT Bara Staff
BirthtoTwenty
What’sup?
Write to us. Postage to BTT is free. Call us if
there is a problem- the tollfree number is
0800 131818.
Mama Chrissie’s Advice
The ‘Return a Teacher/ Father
Questionnaire’ Drive
Thank you to all the Heroes who have ensured that the
Father and Teacher questionnaires have been returned
to us. You guys are amazing. For those of you who haven’t
returned the questionnaires, you may still return them.
However, we would like you to put your full name on the questionnaires before
sending them back to us. The prize draw that was supposed to take place on
the 10th December 2004 has been postponed to the 15th February 2005 to
give the snails a chance to make sure their fathers/father figures and teachers
complete the questionnaires and return them.
The prizes are:
1st prize - computer system
2nd prize- home theatre system
3rd prize - 1 of 5 cellphones.
All the winners will be notified by telephone or post, and prizes will be delivered.
If you are starting a new school this year, we would like you to give the Teacher
Questionnaire to your new class teacher. Please remind your teacher to include
your name and surname on the questionnaire, as well as their name and
signature.
Name the Café Competition
The Bara offices have a new café where you and your families can
relax and have refreshments when you come for your visit. Between
August and November last year a competition was opened to the
Heroes who come to Bara for their appointments to name the café.
Thank you to all the Heroes who entered. We received some very good
entries, but we could only choose one winner.
The winner of the competition, Vhathu, will enjoy a three course meal
with three other people – friends or family of his choice – at the official
opening of the café. The opening date is the 18th February 2005.
Congratulations, Vhathu!!!
Now what you’ve all been waiting for, the name of the new café
is Sidla Sonke – which roughly translated means we eat together.
Mama Chrissie, our counsellor at Bara, has
taken over from Mama Thabi. She now
receives all the letters and attends to the
telephone calls regarding any problems you
might have. Remember, if you would like any
advice about any problems at home, school
or anything personal, you can send a letter
to Mama Chrissie at:
Mama’s Advice
Birth to Twenty
University of the Witwatersrand
Freepost JHZ1320, Wits 2050
FROM YOU TO US
This is a poem Sinah dedicated to
her mother. It goes like this:
You heard my first talk
And saw my my first walk
You heard my cries
And listened to my lies
Mom, I’m very very sorry
For all I did that made you worry
Thank you for all you’ve done
That made my life so fun
Like making me part of the BTT team
Thank you
It’s like being in dream
Mom, you are the best
I’ve ever possessed
I’d like the world to know
I’m wanting no other like you
My mother
Nonkululeko says she would like to
be a doctor and help people in need.
She has a special message for you:
All of you BTT friends must like and
love yourself, and don’t wish to be
someone else. Make use of your
childhood because it is not going to
stay for long.
A BIG "Thank You" to our
funders and sponsors
Funders
Medical Research Council of South Africa
Human Sciences Research Council
University of the Witwatersrand
Wellcome Trust
Sponsors
Kellogs
Johannesburg Zoo
Have you changed
your address?
8 Please help us keep contact
with the BTT children. If you
have changed your address
please complete this slip
and return to:
Birth to Twenty
University of the Witwatersrand
Freepost JHZ1320 WITS 2050
Remember postage is FREE - no stamp needed!
Mother or caretaker’s surname:
Child’s name and surname:
Old address:
8 Mountaineer doing it for the Heroes!
Sibusiso Vilane became the first black African to summit Mount
Everest in May 2003. The experience was so exhilarating and
fulfilling for him, he wants to do it again this year (2005). But this
time, Sibusiso wants to summit the highest peak in the world for
Birth to Twenty, and two other organisations of his choice.
Sibusiso’s talent for climbing was recognised by John Dobblé,
whom he first met in 1993 when Dobblé was a visitor at the game
reserve where Sibusiso is employed as a game ranger. They have
since become very firm friends. Dobblé encouraged Sibusiso to
climb the highest peak in Swaziland, in Africa, and eventually
fuelled his desire to climb the highest peak in the world.
The mountaineer says that despite the challenges he was faced
with on the Mount Everest Expedition, he was determined to reach
the top for Africans, South Africans and all the people who have
never had the opportunity to do it themselves. Sibusiso could not
have done it without his climbing team. Sibusiso says a team is
one of the most important ingredients to achieve a dream, any
dream. On the way to the top of the mountain, he was a motivator
of his team members, while at the same time being motivated and
inspired by his team members.
When Sibusiso begins his climb on the 20th March, he will have
with him the Birth to Twenty flag, which he will carry for the next
10 weeks (until 31st May) to place on top of the highest point in
the world. That is sure to put us on top of the world!
New address:
By the time you receive this; Sibusiso will have met some of you
and spoken to you about his experiences on the 22nd January
2005. Like Birth to Twenty, Sibusiso is passionate about South
Africa and the children of South Africa. It is for this reason that he
is climbing Mt Everest to raise money for us so we can conduct
research that makes a difference!
8 Poetry Competition
New telephone number
Date
Day / Month / Year
Feel your creative juices flowing? What you waiting for? Put it
down on paper in the form of poem and send it to us. Submit a
poem on the topic “How are you a hero in your own life?”
inspired by Sibusiso Vilane’s climb.
The competition closes on Friday the 18th March 2005, and you
stand in line to win a book voucher to the value of R150. May the
best pen and paper team win!