MISSION, Children’s Aids Art Programme
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M4M – Minute for Mission, August 13, 2015
Dear friends,
It was such a pleasant surprise to get this email from Nobu who has been a integral part of Children’s AIDS Art Programme, a South Africa Trust. She is a graduate of Michaelis School of Fine Art at UCT. CAAP is very grateful for your support and all that you do to help these young people achieve their goals. I’ve attached an image of Nobu.
With warmest regards,
Mary
Mary Miyata
Founder & Trustee
CAAP South Africa Trust
Dear Mary,
I just want to let you know how grateful I am for having worked with you for the past two years. I’ve learnt so much and I have also grown as a person. I know I have been very quiet and have not communicated as I would have liked in the past month, but I have been very busy I don’t even have ‘me for myself.
I will show my photography work in Nigeria in October for photo lags and there’s a chance of showing in Mali too but that hasn’t been finalized yet. I am also showing in Switzerland at the Musee d’ Elysee and that exhibit will travel to different countries. Unfortunately the show can’t come to South Africa because there’s no funding, but I am cool with that. What matters is that other countries will see my work. I will tell you more when you come to SA. This year has just been so busy and I am working on a new project as well.
You were a great boss and you clearly brought a spark into my life.
Regards,
Nobukho Nqab
Mary Miyata’s update on the Children’s Aids Art Program, May 2013, upon her return from Africa. She writes:
This past trip was the most productive of all my trips since I moved back to California. I was able to secure, for a young man that I have known and loved since he was 9 years old a full scholarship for UCT Michaelis School of Fine Arts. When I arrived I heard he was homeless after being at the Waldorf Schools (through Baphumelele Children’s Home) for most of his young life. He had matriculated but had no real family to live with. Social Development told him he would receive NO money to live on without providing them with his mother’s death certificate. Olwethu was only 7 years old when she died and has no ID number for her and never knew her date of death. I took him to my place in the Waterfront for three weeks. We had five business meetings a day even on the weekends, until I left on May 20th.
We had meetings with UCT Michaelis School of Fine Art and with top professors and advisers at UCT. Olwethu is an amazingly talented artist. My goal was to have him apply to Michaelis and at least 4 other colleges and universities. We met with two individuals on the Michaelis selection committee that would like him in the programme next year. We did not meet the entire selection committee. We have started the application process for Michaelis however, he is up against 165 others with only 60 selected.
If he is accepted, I have secured a full three year bursary for all he will need, tuition,books, materials, dorm and food through Investec Trust….we had many meetings with them. Needless to say we are thrilled! My law firm Cliffe Dekker has assigned one of the their young brainy associates to work with Olwethu. We are trying to get him a job at Pick n’ Pay (#1 grocery/retail chain in Africa) through the Ackerman family.
My focus in the years to come will be to help as many adolescents whom I have known since they were 5, 6 and 7 years old to secure a higher education and/or sustainable employment to maintain their life. The CAAP Art Therapy School for the smaller guys is going very well. We are expanding it to the Desmond Tutu Youth Centre in Masiphumelele.
Click here to see attached Motivational Essay (for university applications)
With warmest regards,
Mary
Mary Miyata
Founder & Executive Director
miyata.mary@gmail.com
P: +1 (415) 320-2442
childrensaidsartprogramme.org