Patrick Collins

Financial Manager and Office Manager

Patrick Collins is a recent graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he earned a B.S in Business Administration and graduated with Honors in Creative Writing. Before joining SAEP as a volunteer, he and his brother spent a year on the back of a municipal garbage truck in their home town of Marion, MA; in addition to running their own boat maintenance and landscaping service. As SAEP’s Financial and Office Manager, Patrick was responsible for all bookkeeping and budgeting, as well as maintaining the company’s vehicles, phone system, computer network, inventory, and office procedures. Patrick has recently returned to the United States to pursue future career endeavours and will be sorely missed by all the staff and volunteers at SAEP.

Laura Pugliese

Fundraising and Institutional Development

Laura Pugliese graduated from Georgetown University in 2008 with a BA in English and a BS in Anthropology. In South Africa, she has attended the University of Cape Town as an exchange student, worked on an education initiative for women in rural Limpopo, and most recently has joined the SAEP team to lend a hand with fundraising and institutional development. Additionally, Laura plans to help coordinate SAEP's Matric Success programme at Philippi High, and has begun teaching an English matric course to grade 12 students.

Katharina (Ina) Rindle

Volunteer

Ina is one of the new volunteers at SAEP. She comes from Germany and will work for SAEP for the next three months. In May of 2011, she finished the theoretical part of her studies to become a Primary School Teacher. One of her tasks at SAEP will be to teach English to the children at the Crèches.

Ina enjoys music, reading, hiking, hanging out with friends and exploring different countries and cultures. She is very happy to be in South Africa!

Danielle DeKock

Coordinator, Arts Outreach Programme

Danielle de Kock graduated from the University of Cape Town in 2006 with a degree in Fine Art and English. She has worked for SAEP since 2007 directing the Arts Programme, teaching art and English in the high schools and assisting with English teaching for the Bridging Year Programme.

Nokhaya Manxiwa (Nomsa) Nqeza

Principal of Qhamani Educare Centre and Representative of the Safety Unity Crèche Forum

Nokhaya Manxiwa Nqeza was born in the Eastern Cape as Nomsa Manxiwa before she got married to John Makhaza Nqeza. Nokhaya moved to Cape Town to further her secondary education and later went to adult learning. Nokhaya worked for various people as a domestic worker for more than 6 years.

In 1996, with the help of her mother, Nokhaya opened a crèche called Qhamani Educare Centre to serve local children. In 2003, she met Jane Keen and SAEP. Since then, all is history. Nokhaya can not even begin to describe the help she has received from SAEP ever since they started working together.

Nokhaya and SAEP celebrated the grand opening of her new building in April 2009. She is proud to now own and run the only double-storey ECD Centre ever built in Philippi township, all thanks to SAEP. Nokhaya has recently completed the South African National Qualifications Framework (NQF) level 4 and has registered to complete level 5 at North Link College in Parow. "I am a better person now, I see and tackle things from different perspectives thanks to SAEP and their continued motivation."