Please download the pdf to read about our latest Community Act in South Africa,
in the remote village of Molatedi just outside the Madikwe Game Reserve.  We'll
be including all the Community Acts completed by our beneficiaries in the UK and
South Africa as each one is completed.  Just another way clouddog makes an
impact on the communites in which we operate. 

Please download the pdf here or read the full article below.

CommunityAct:Molatedi

Community Act: Molatedi

I learned how different I am as an individual and I also learned what a difference
I can make as an individual.  Andi, 16 years old
 
What?
As part of a full twelve-month educational programme of hands-on activities,
clouddog beneficiaries complete a minimum of two Community Acts every
year. These consist of volunteering as a team based activity for a school,
designated Community or in conjunction with another charity.

How?
clouddog constructs a list of targeted projects each year based on requests
received from the communities in which we operate.   During May 2010 the
team worked in the village of Molatedi outside the Madikwe Game Reserve
- a remote community of 8000 previously disadvantaged persons, with a
Secondary and Primary school of very basic means serving a total of 300
learners daily.

The Molatedi secondary school site, Before and After and the 12 clouddog students the lead the project.

Vision for Molatedi Project:
To create a sustainable food and income source for the isolated community
using the Secondary school 240sqm garden and the Primary school 160sqm
garden.

• To work alongside the community to sensitively create opportunities
  that are relevant for their size, location and economic needs.
• To support the community to establish direct relationships with the lodges
  in the Madikwe Reserve, enabling them to expand the growing scheme to
  capture orders that supply the lodge kitchens.
• To further develop the scheme, upon negotiation with Lodge chefs, to
  include herb gardens and specialist produce.
• To initiate Enterprise Development opportunities for leaders in the community.

Benefits of Molatedi Project:
Creating a sustainable garden for each of the schools will impact a minimum of
300 learners per day by:

• Creating a sustainable food source for both sites
• Fostering leadership and responsibility in the learners via the day-to-day
  maintenance of the sites.
• Developing educational aspects alongside the garden work that will be
  incorporated into the school curriculum with seasonal planting schedules
  and lessons on plants, soil and vegetables.
• Creating opportunities for site development where learners will create a
  seedling source for sustainable crop rotation and replacement.
• Enabling the creation of a seedling ‘bank’ to maintain continual and
  seasonal replanting of crops using profits from potions of produce sold.
• These are the tangible benefits to the communities in which we work. 
  There are additional benefits to the clouddog volunteers that participate.

The work gets underway; the entire community lends a hard; the dedicated clouddog volunteers feed and water the workers.

Funding the Molatedi Project:
Thanks to children Collette and Callum Heskett and their parents, Todd Heskett
and Hillary Pawsey.  The family went on a cultural visit to the Molatedi schools
in 2008 as part of their stay with The Madikwe Collection. After their visit the children
were inspired to fundraise money to improve the level of facilities at the schools.
clouddog are proud to have carried out their wishes.

Additional funding for the completion of the Molatedi project was provided by the
Credit Suisse EMEA Foundation grant.

clouddog have started this community on its way to self sustainability.  Sustainable
gardens such as this one can be completed for as little as 20,000 Rand Can you help us do more?

How to get involved in future projects:

• Make a donation towards our next Community Act
• Propose a specific community important to you, your employees and
  your customers
• Involve your employees first-hand - clouddog welcomes working alongside
  your employees in the form of collaborative engagement

Students for the clouddog twelve-month programmes are currently selected from
Lenasia, Eldorado Park, Southhills, Elspark and Zondi, Soweto.  If your company
would like to sponsor a learner through our twelve month structured programme
please contact us. (*Elspark is a school for children with learning disabilities)

Sweaty work getting the fence secure; the finished product; the learners and the locals celebrating success!

Molatedi Project Sponsors:
clouddog work with a broad range of sponsors and can enlist the expertise that is
relevant to your designated site.
Our sincere thanks go out to our sponsors for the Molatedi Schools Project for
the contribution of their skills, time and/or materials.

Thakadu River Camp . Team accommodation and food was kindly donated by
this community run 5 star lodge inside the Madikwe Game Reserve. 
Thakadu is part of The Madikwe Collection.

Fencing supplies, expertise and welding on site was provided by DayLite Security Systems.

Ryan Mitchell of Transformation Landscaping generously provided Irrigation
systems, paving and landscaping expertise.

Christopher Smith at Top Turf donated twelve cubic metres of compost and also
supplied free delivery from Sun City.