These Numbers Have Faces is pleased to announce that we've teamed up with Cars 4 Causes to help support our work in South Africa.

When you donate your car, boat, RV, motorcycle, or off road vehicle through Cars 4 Causes, they take care of everything! They'll pick your car up, do all the paperwork, take it to the DMV, do necessary maintenance, sell your car, and leave you with a generous tax receipt for April.  

Then, 70% of the net sale goes to These Numbers Have Faces and township youth in South Africa!

Since its inception, $20 Million to date has gone to charities via the Cars 4 Causes program.

Check out TNHF on Cars 4 Causes.

1. Ringing in 2010 with FOUR new students!

New students Zintathu, Vuyokazi, Thembisile and Thembikile have all started college this January alongside Anda, Xolani, Mava, and Khanyisa from 2009.

That brings our grand total to eight students involved with TNHF. January 2009 began with two but because of your support, we’ve quadrupled our impact!

Much more on this to come.

2. The TNHF Women’s Empowerment Fund

Did you know that with every year a woman receives education, her earning potential increases by 10-20%?

This spring, we are proud to launch the TNHF Women’s Empowerment Fund geared exclusively at educating and empowering women.

TNHF pledges to commit 40% of its funds to women by 2011 and we can’t wait to have you involved.

Stay tuned.

3. Upcoming South Africa Trip

A handful of TNHF staff and board members are heading back to South Africa in February 2010. They’ll be reconnecting with our partners and South African staff, interviewing new students, and checking on the development of the TNHF Community Impact Model.

4. J.L. Zwane Soccer Club gets new uniforms and warm-ups!

Thanks to the support of Nike and private donors, the TNHF team will be presenting the soccer club with new kits and warm-ups in February. They’ve had mismatched uniforms for years. But because of the success of TNHF, all that is changing! Meet JL Zwane FC.

5. Signature Series T-shirt Campaign

This spring we’ll be launching a new t-shirt campaign called the TNHF Signature Series. The idea is kind of a secret but it involves specific t-shirts for our various students and artistic renderings of their lives and stories. It’s gonna be cool, trust us.

6. The World Cup in South Africa

Lest we forget the greatest tournament on the planet. The World Cup hits South Africa in the summer of 2010 and we couldn’t be more excited.
Stay tuned for new campaigns surrounding the World Cup, interactive blogs to stay up to date, and photo journalism projects from the ground all summer long.

Thank you for your support and commitment to These Numbers Have Faces. We couldn’t do it without you.

Help us achieve our goals this year by donating to These Numbers Have Faces.

As promised from last week, some great news and updates from TNHF student Mava Bacela!

Mava is currently working hard towards his dream of opening up the very first restaurant in his township. Through the support of a TNHF college scholarship, Mava is currently in his first year at the Institute for Hospitality Education in Cape Town, South Africa.

Both his incredible work ethic and his exposure to some of the best instructors and culinary facilities in the country a have contributed to his recent success in earning a paid internship position at the Mount Vernon Hotel of Cape Town, voted the best hotel in Africa in both 2008 and 2009 

Mava applied and interviewed for the position and was chosen from a pool of applicants to supplement his studies at the prestigious hotel. This is such great news! Check out where Mava will be working:  http://www.mountnelson.co.za/web/ocap/mount_nelson_hotel.jsp

In addition to focusing on his studies, his new internship, and his time spent playing soccer with JL Zwane Football Club, Mava enjoys sharing his love for food with his family and friends.  

He also recently began volunteering in the kitchen at J.L. Zwane Church, one of TNHF’s community partners in the Cape Flats which serves daily nutritional meals to HIV/AIDS victims and orphans as part of their nutrition program. Mava’s involvement at the JL Zwane Centre will allow him to gain practical experience while using his skills to strengthen existing community initiatives. 

Equipped with an extensive support network, his culinary degree, and a community-oriented entrepreneurial mindset, Mava hopes to open “the first real restaurant” in his township. He sees this opportunity as a way to stay connected with his community and to improve it for the better.

Not only does he seek to stimulate economic development by creating jobs in Gugelethu, he also hopes his restaurant will serve as a community hub, offering a vibrant and positive atmosphere centered around the culture of food. Mava’s demonstrated investment towards his own education as well as the health of his community is inspiring and really illustrates TNHF’s Community Impact Model in action.

Congratulations and keep up the wonderful work, Mava!

Tune in next week for more stories from our students.