Hello Friends and Family, 

As you know, my site is the small rural village of Leokaneng 65 KM outside of Polokwane in Limpopo Province. Leokaneng is like numerous small, rural, impoverished villages in South Africa. It has very little in the form of educational resources. I volunteer at Leokaneng Primary School and have been asked by the principal to help with a library so the learners and community members can have access to reading materials for learning and pleasure. 

Also Legacy Giving After-Care and Mentoring Center, a volunteer organization in Tshaulu Village started by a very motivated South African, helps learners with their homework and other after-school educational activities. It too is in need of books. 

I have not seen a public library anywhere in South Africa and books here are very expensive. It is incredible to see how motivated the learners are to learn and how hungry everyone is for reading materials.  Last week I asked the first grade teacher if she had ever heard of Dr. Seuss and she had not. I showed her a “Green Eggs and Ham” book and she was thrilled and was sure the children would be also. 

Another volunteer discovered an American organization willing to donate 22,000+ library books all over the country to villages deeply interested in establishing libraries. The result is “Books for Peace”, a project that brings together 24 volunteers to create libraries in 30 impoverished communities across South Africa. 

Now we are working to raise the funds needed to ship those books to South Africa to help the people in these communities with their library projects. I could really use your support. I need to raise $333 per library for a total of $666 to pay the shipping costs for 1400 books (700 per library). If 26 people are willing to donate $26 each, I’ll have exceeded my personal goal. But any amount – even $5 – will make a difference and be really appreciated. 

Donations go directly to putting books into the hands of schoolchildren, and they’re even tax-deductible. We can only make this happen with your help! You can donate or learn more on our project website: https://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=donate.contribute.projdetail&projdesc=674-072 

Feel free to e-mail me with any questions and to share this project with your friends and contacts. 

Thank you for your help, 

Joni

New Site - New Address

Hello Everyone -  Things happen and they sure happened at my Venda site. Now I have a new site, school, village about 65km northwest of Polokwane so I am still in Limpopo. It is flatter and drier here and I have to learn a new language - Sepedi also known as Northern Sotho.

Many people in the village have lots of fruit trees in their yards as well as vegetables. At my home they grow oranges, mangoes, avocados, grapes, peaches, bananas and much more.  A neighbor grows pomegranate - yum.  And another grows lemons and pink grapefruit.  The oranges and grapefruits are seedless - a pleasant surprise.

Here is my new address:
Leokaneng Primary School
PO Box 962
0702 South Africa

Since it is so dry here, the picture on the left is an example of planting vegetables.   The ground is dug up and smoothed out so a dam of sorts is made around the planted area.  Then the planted area is watered daily.  Who knew that cassette tape would be good for keeping lizards from eating small seedlings.   The same type of depression/dam is created around the trees.

Cassette taping seedlings	Sugarcane & orange tree	Small but fruitful orange tree

One day a neighbor was riding by on his bicycle and saw a snake somewhere around our wood pile. I have not met a black South African who is not afraid of snakes and dislikes them very much. The Peace Corps Safety and Security Officer did a presentation on snakes and actually brought some of his pet snakes to the presentation and allowed us to take pictures with the snakes wrapped around our necks and bodies. They were very big snakes but perfectly harmless. I did not know to bring my camera that day so do not have a picture of myself with the snakes. And so I digress.

The whole neighborhood came out to catch the poor snake. I was rooting for it to get away but everyone moved piles of wood searching for it. When they found it they poured boiling water on the wood pile where it was. The poor snake did not have a chance. To be sure there are poisonous snakes in South Africa but all snakes are hunted and killed with the greatest zeal no matter if they are poisonous or not.

Boiling water on wood pile	Some of the snake hunters	Made sure it was dead