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WHO ARE WE HELPING? |
"There can be no keener revelation of a
Society’s soul than the way
in which it treats
its children"
– Nelson Mandela
“Mr Dave, thank u very much for giving us the
chance to show our humanity. I want to say if u
need help with something like yesterday we here
for u and Doug and u also here for us for 4 us
only, 4 all children of South Africa. Thank u
very much” - text message from Khanyisele, aged
15 after volunteering to assist with a football
tournament run by The Kusasa Project. |
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The children live in makeshift shacks with
cardboard walls and dirt floors, ramshackle farm
cottages and a variety of other overcrowded
substandard dwellings. They are surrounded by
poverty, the ravages of HIV-Aids, alcoholism,
illiteracy, domestic violence, sexual abuse,
regular and early death and often the despair
which comes from being in an environment where
the present is painful and the future bleak.
The history of South Africa has left a legacy of
vast differences in socio-economic status, a
barrier between peoples, and most crushingly, an
education system which is badly failing those
without the resources to pay for a private
education. For these children, who’s families
have been devastated by the history of
Apartheid, access to an effective education is
the only way to break the cycle of poverty. |
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Just being in school is
not the answer for these kids: |
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- Fact: In the
Western Cape, government funding at
schools for the education of children
served by The Kusasa Project amounts to
R700 per student per year or
£60 / €73 / $94 year.
- Fact: Rural &
underfunded schools are overcrowded
(55-70 children/class) and lack
libraries, computers and/or computer
literate teachers, satisfactory toilet
facilities, extra-curricular activities,
special needs teachers.
- Fact: The basic
wage for a farm worker is R70 / day =
approx. R16,800per year, =
€7.30 / day (£6/$9.50) or €1,752 per year
(£1,460 / $2,270) assuming full
employment. Most labourers are employed
seasonally, hired and laid off as work
determines, including in the tourist
industry.
- Fact: Educators in
the poorest schools (non-fee charging,
rural, and/or township schools
primarily) are underpaid, extremely
de-motivated, often the least qualified
educators and work in the harshest of
environments or facilities. Significant
“time away from task” occurs due to
state-sponsored workshops, all too often
attended by dis-interested or fatigued
teachers.
- Fact: Teacher
training/workshops often focus on “form
over substance” and results measured in
reports rather than functional ability
of children.
- Fact: Due to the
lack of affordable housing in the
Franschhoek areas educators must travel
hours to school on unreliable public
transport, making after-school
activities virtually non-existent.
- Fact: Development
of interest in or skills in creative
arts or sports is extremely limited.
Thus the opportunity to build confidence
and self-respect is also abridged.
- Fact: The outcomes
of schools – i.e. basic literacy &
numeracy – are highly variable depending
on school resources, finance,
availability and motivation of educators
and extra-curricular resources. In the
schools The Kusasa Project serves, such
outcomes are very poor.
- Fact: Due to the
factors above the children in many
schools are unlikely to ever break out
of the poverty and disempowerment that
is so directly linked to poor education.
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Almost 80% of South African pupils
do not develop basic reading
skills by the time
they reach grade five.
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In spite of all of the challenges which the
kids of this area face, we have created and
built The Kusasa Project because of the amazing
spirit of life and fantastic potential they
demonstrate! We have worked with these kids
since 2006 and found them to demonstrate
characteristics of courage, decency, kindness, a
spirit of community, determination, joy, hunger
for knowledge and a willingness to strive for a
better future.
Regardless of the environment in
which they live where so many messages are
negative and discouraging, they have welcomed us
and our volunteers into their schools and
communities with smiles and energy – inviting us
to spend our time, and share our knowledge,
concern and humour with them to open them up to
a brighter future. We have learned life lessons
from them, been amazed at their generosity and
honesty, and uplifted by their refusal to give
up, even in the direst of circumstances.
In a
land where violence gets frequent front page
attention both here and abroad, we have seen
incredible warmth and humanity from the youngest
of the kids, who only ask us to give of
ourselves to give them a chance.
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