Happy Spring! Although a bit premature (Spring Day is actually the 22nd of September) we  have unofficially declared that Spring has arrived! The atmosphere within our office has been rejuvenated with more light, energy and warmth after atough few months for the country. As an organization that has operated with a small team since its inception, we are very grateful to find ourselves in a position to welcome two new team members onboard who have hit the ground running! as our new Programmes Manager, Rene believes in the power of creativity to unite, strengthen, and heal. Her background is an interesting mix of NGO project management, education management, and having the time of her life as Ian Gabriel’s assistant on both the Forgiveness and Four Corners feature films.  Ziyanda Mavovana, born and bred in Port Elizabeth, is a BA Honours graduate from Nelson Mandela University. Her developing career has focused on youth empowerment and the development space. She has gained experience in handling projects.  She also hopes to contribute to the personal growth of our Sunshine Ambassadors.

At the end of July we gained amazing recognition which speaks to the heart of what we aim to achieve as Sunshine Cinema. The Durban International Festival awarded us the first Access to Cinema Award. We were recognized for our work bringing sustainable and free screenings to digitally and economically excluded communities in Africa. Moments like these mean so much to the team. We are happy to impact one life at a time, but to know that we have positively impacted 1000s more and then be recognized by our peers and a broader community is the icing on the cake.

The Impact Facilitator Course is going well. Everyone is feeling rejuvenated after a two-week break and looking forward to the next session. This week our Co-founder Sydelle Willow Smith and Judy Kibinge from Docubox had an engaging session on understanding and reaching the audience. To view our brochure for the course and Apply for 2022 Click here

After a lengthy period marred by the necessary adjusted level 3 lockdowns we were happy to have our solar cinema kits back in action bringing some light back to communities, with a variety COVID safe screenings.  Alongside screenings some really powerful podcasts have also been produced. For example our ambassadors in Zimbabwe have been speaking to key local leaders around the 2023 elections, as well as rural communities sentiments concerning accessing the COVID Vaccines.   We look forward to many more important conversations being sparked on our Suncloud.