TWINNING MONTHLY MEETING AND WELCOME- SODERHAMN BUILDING PROJECT

Yesterday's monthly twinning meeting  ( 25 Feb. 2010) was attended and addressed by the Soderhamn Building Project group, Jorgen Andersson, Olle Collin and Adam Jonsson. Also present was Nol'thando Ngcobo, a lecturer at eSayidi FETC Nqamuza Skills Centre, Munster..

Jorgen, a teacher of building and construction at Staffangymnasiet, returned to the project he began last year, and with two new students in their final year, namely Olle Collin who is studying carpentry and Adam Jonsson who is specialising in concrete work. They are presently skilling 10 builders at the Gamalakhe campus and return to Soderhamn next week.

They are working with the eSayidi FETC technical team, Keith Stroebel and Richard Pym who visited Soderhamn last year, and Bernard Cele.

Nol'thando Ncobo visited Soderhamn with other lecturers from the Mtwalume and Nqamuza Skills Centres, namely Mr Wiseman Malunga, Ms Sanelisiwe Mavundla and Ms Silindile Mtuli last September and they were joined by the vice rector of esayidi FETC, Mrs Zanokuhle Ntombela.

The Distance Education project began on 2 February 2010 at both campuses with 15 students at each, and on 7 March, the Swedish based lecturers involved with the project, Aanette Ramstrand and Hakan Helmersson, will return to continue the training begun with eSayidi FETC last October.

 Article and Photo by: Pauline Duncan

BUILDING PROJECT - SODERHAMN / UGU / ESAYIDI FET / PSTA PARTNERSHIP

Historic Environment Education and Time Travel -Programme and Future Planning 4-7 February 2010

Visit to Port Shepstone, 4-7 February 2010.
Objective: Planning, meetings and a workshop

4 FebruaryMeeting with the Time Travel Committee, PS Twinning Association, 7 persons.    

Planning

5 FebruaryWorkshop 09.00-15.00 at Marburg Primary School on “The development of the Port Shepstone region 1860-1910” “The Time Travel method”. Lectures by Lwazi Lushaba, University of Fort Hare, Howard Msomi, Khwezi Le-Africa, Ebbe Westergren, Kalmar läns museum, Gulshera Khan and Judy Mkhize, PS Twinning Association, Stanley Perlimal, 1860 Heritage Committee. 25 persons from Marburg Primary School, Mlazi Primary School, Port Shepstone Primary School, Merlewood Secondary School, Nobamba High School, Gamalakhe Commercial School, Port Shepstone Museum, KZN Museum Service, 1860 Indentured Indian Heritage Committee, Ugu Education Department Office, Hibiscus Coast Municipality, Siphakamele, Khwezi Le-Africa, University of Fort Hare, Kalmar läns museum, Time Travel Committee, PS Twinning Association

6 FebruaryMeeting at Umzumbe Municipality with Umzumbe Art and Culture Forum. Discussions about cooperation of mutual benefit. 30 persons from the Umzumbe Art and Culture Forum, Umzumbe Municipality, PS Twinning Association and Kalmar läns museum

Planning with Gulshera Khan, PS Twinning Association

Meeting with Lwazi Lushaba, University of Fort Har

Draft Program for March

(Arrival of Helen Eklund, Meg Johnson and Ebbe Westergren, Kalmar läns museum)

- 18 March .Preparations for workshops and the Time Travel

- 19 March:  Workshop focusing on Primary School Education, Heritage and the Time Travel method. Time Travel at Port Shepstone Harbour 1905, 14-18 at Marburg Primary School

-20-22 March -Meetings and preparations. Plan the national conference in October

Meet the 1860 Heritage Committee

-23 March Workshop  on the Struggle in the Port Shepstone region, the Apartheid System and Resistance -1950-1994. Community research, Education and The Time Travel method. Target groups: Secondary School Teachers, FET Subject Advisors, District Education Office, TT Committe, PS Twinning, war veterans, PS museum, KZN Museum Service, municipality, district, Kalmar läns museum... Way forward.

-24 March Workshop in Umzumbe Municiaplity on Local Development and Heritage. Program: Local development using the heritage and local resources, community tourism, education in the local heritage, by Howard Msomi. The TT method, study groups, heritage sites, oral history, time travels with local people, tourists and learners by KLM and PS Twinning/Time Travel Committee. Visit heritage sites. Discusson on cooperation, using heritage sites and local artists in education and local development. Way forward.

-25 and 26 March. Meetings with participating schools, municipality, district.Meeting with the MEC of Education.Visit Ulundi, museums and Zulu cultural sites with KZN Museum Service.Time Travel workshop in Newcastle?

 Extract from Ebbe's and Helen's report.

gk

Thank You- Tove Nilsson

It had taken  longer to carefully spend  the R70.000 raised in your community, Sweden.We have ensured that the rand was stretched to the maximum taking into consideration  the  needs in rural South Africa. A library in rural Umgai to service 5 schools , a first for this community, housed at the Child Welfare offices.

Educational toys for 35 creches ( pre - schools ) in rural Ezinqoleni

A jungle gym at Mgawulane Primary School, in rural Ezinqoleni.

Contribution towards the building of the first chld welfare office in Umzumbe. A much needed venue , as counselling and therapeutic services to orphan and vulnerable children and their families is presently from a cramped room.

An Early Start - January 2010

16 years of Twinning, growing slowly but steadily is a big achievement. 138 delegates to Sweden over these years in various fields, positions, portfolios surely must have made a huge positive impact in our community. Soderhamn, Ugu Memorandum of Understanding, Hibiscus Coast and Oskarshamn relationship, our relationship with OSAK and ABF, including Kalmar Lans Museum ( Ebbe and Team), Global School Journey, Global Supplement, eSayidi FET media study building replica of a school in Kalmer. This  augurs well for our Association.