©2009 Full Circle Magazine.
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E-T-E Trust Registered
The E-T-E Trust was registered in August
and is now formally overseeing the
development, fund-raising, planning and
running of the Trust.
The goal of the Trust is to make a difference in
the lives of selected early-Learners in Green
Curtains Pre-School in Ocean View and
Masakhane Crèche in Masiphumelele by
creating the opportunity for them to achieve their
full potential by funding their education from
Grade One through tertiary education. Of course
the E-T-E Trust would like to do the same for
every child in Masiphumelele, Ocean View and
beyond but that is clearly not possible. Instead of
throwing up their hands in resignation at the
enormity of the task, the Trust has been
instituted to fund the education of the children
identified by the schools as having the most
potential to succeed and achieve giving the
support of the Trust.
In this way the E-T-E Trust hopes to produce
productive members of society who become
leaders in their chosen fields as time goes by. If
that is ‘all’ the Trust achieves it will have fulfilled
its purpose. If it produces even one person of
such outstanding achievement and character
that they become players on the national and
international stage its mandate would have been
far exceeded.
The Teachers and Board of the Valley
Development Project selected six children from
each establishment. These 12 children were
then assessed by psychologists and educational
professionals who then selected three children
from each school whose education the E-T-E
Trust will sponsor from Grade One at the
beginning of the school year in 2010.
The immediate vision of the E-T-E was to
select five children from each pre-school but
decided to choose three from each while the
Fund is growing and being established. As soon
as the Trust is able in future, it will select the
planned five children from each pre-school. The
long-term vision of the E-T-E Trust is to establish
its own campus in which the most advanced
teaching techniques and equipment can be used
to educate hundreds of children each year.
After conducted exhaustive research in which
parents and residents of Masiphumelele and
Ocean View (some from the pre-schools in
question and many others who have no
attachment to the schools whatsoever) were
interviewed, it was established that 100% of
parents’ first choice was to have their children
educated in an English medium school as this
would afford their children the broadest-possible
scope to achieve and fulfil their potential as adults
in a modern world which becomes smaller and
smaller as technology draws us all closer and
closer.
The E-T-E will strive to give each and every
selected child the best-possible support and
encouragement to facilitate their education in the
most dynamic, creative and productive manner
feasible.
The Rotary Club of the Cape of Good Hope and
Herbie Eichel have funded and built the two pre-
schools in question and Masakhane has been
acknowledged by experts and officials from the
department of education as being a pre-school of
the highest level in South Africa. Together they
have already created a working model that has
produced a pre-school of the highest possible
standard and they fully intend to use that
benchmark to measure everything that the E-T-E
Trust set out to do with regard to educating
children on the Southern Peninsula.
Full Circle asks all readers, particularly those
who own or run businesses in Cape Town, South
Africa or anywhere else in the world, to visit the
donation. No amount of money is too little or too
large! So many people have told us they really do
want to do something; to make a difference; to put
something back; to assist the less privileged but
they just don’t know where to go and what to do.
The E-T-E Fund is a very good option. Not only will
you be making a real, discernable difference to the
lives of young, deserving and potential-filled South
Africans, but you will be able to track the
development of those young children through their
education via the website making your contribution
more real-world than some charities through which
you have no idea where your money goes.
The E-T-E Trust will oversee all contributions to
ensure that the maximum amount possible goes
directly to the selected children.
Being registered and having an official fund-
raising number means your contribution is tax-
deductable.
The trustees of the E-T-E Trust are Hans Zwets;
Alan Ferguson, Sandy Dowling, Herbie Eichel and
Sean Houghton.
Correction
In the last E-T-E article, published in the August issue
of Full Circle. It was incorrectly stated that Herbie
Eichel, proprietor of The Galley Restaurant on Fish
Hoek Beach, “once more stepped in and made
donations of more than R25 000 to pay for
educational and administrative equipment...” for
Green Curtains Pre-School in Ocean View.
In fact, Herbie donated more than R125 000 to
Green Curtains. Full Circle regrets the error.
Croup is an infection of the upper airways,
usually in young children. It’s an acute viral
infection of the upper and lower breathing
tubes, and usually affects kids between three
months and five years. Boys more than girls,
and more common in the winter months.
Often there is a sudden onset of symptoms.
Children may be well when they go to bed but
wake up in the night with a croupy cough and
trouble breathing. They may have a runny nose
and a brassy cough, and may have been
exposed to infection two to six days before.
The cough is distinctive and sounds like a
barking seal. There is a loud high-pitched noise
when breathing in, which gets worse when the
child becomes anxious or agitated. There may
be gagging and vomiting with the cough. Often
there is hoarseness and a fever present. If the
child becomes drowsy, drooling, and exhausted
with a rapid pulse, then medical help is
required.
Try to remain cool, calm and reassuring to
the child. Although it is very easy for parents to
become extremely concerned, try not to show
it. Don’t try to open the child’s mouth or to put
something in the mouth so that you can see
the back of the throat. A steamy atmosphere
helps, so get the kitchen or bathroom full of
steam, but be careful that no one gets scalded in
the process. If this doesn’t help within about 15
minutes, ring for help.
There’s a much rarer infection which is more
dangerous: a condition called acute epiglottitis, a
bacterial infection at the back of the throat which
causes swelling and airway-obstruction. The
noise the child makes is softer, with snoring or
gurgling sounds when they breathe out. The
cough is not very prominent. The child appears
sick, drools saliva without being able to swallow,
and needs to lean forwards with its mouth open
to breathe. Do not lie the child down, as this may
block the airway, and call for assistance.
Call CMR on 082 782 4444 for any medical
emergency. We respond to all calls. Members
have priority and non-members are billed on a
fee-for-service basis. Website:
MEDICAL RESPONSE - CROUP
by Dr Alan Walters
Medical Director - Cape Medical Response
September 2009 Vol6 No9
