Kwethu Children's Education Project, South Africa

by K2011127140 trading as PSI Projects

Project Report | Oct 28, 2021
What's New: Life after Kwethu and the TSH?

By Precious Matongo | Project Contributor

Windows and frame for French doors in place!!

In July 2021 our 5 young men and 1 young woman moved to Johannesburg to start a new life. The City Power took these young people for apprenticeship in Electrical Engineering on Job Training. Having moved from their sheltered home at the Teen Safe House, where everything has been provided for, our young people found themselves faced with a different challenge of being able to stand on their own feet.

The college these TSH Youth are training at is Government funded. Teen Independent Living Program managed to provide the youth with start-up money for transport to the college, rental money (as the college does not provide transport) and food for one month ….with the expectancy that Government would pay them an allowance at the end of the month of August! This did not happen.

The youth were suddenly experiencing in practice what it means to be away from home and being in the independent and adult world for the first time. The TSH had to loan them money to pull them through the month of September. They have since been registered in the Government system and will now each receive an allowance of R3500 monthly. This will cover their basic living costs for the next 3years of their training.

The TSH continues with 2 youth currently in residence, one completing matric this year while the other one is doing teaching practice in Accounting and studying to be qualified for teaching full time next year. Two more of the TSH youth in the program are at Tertiary institutions …. one doing Engineering Studies and the other studying Pharmacology.

Kwethu is now focused on the intake of new children. In preparation for that, renovations have since started with the main hall, which was washed away by the floods earlier this year. It has been wonderful to see the structure up again. While a local church is currently using the hall for church services, Kwethu Children’s Village is planning to host various activities with the children from the local community during holidays and on weekends.

And here is an urgent opportunity in our Loskop community. Due to Covid local schools have structured, staggered school days. This leaves school age children roaming the streets during the day they are not in schoo, which in turn leads to engagement in mischief because they have plenty of unsupervised time on their hands. It is with this in mind that Kwethu Childrens Village staff are actively planning activities, using our recently rebuilt hall, to provide constructive alternatives for the children.

Our plans come directly out of our compassionate hearts and invaluable experience raising and educating children for many years. We thank all our donors for your partnership. as we aim for effective intervention for vulnerable children and youth in Loskop, South Africa.

New-look Community Hall from the outside

Last of the ceiling to be completed!

Permalink

Jun 30, 2021
Packing Bags, Moving Out from TIL Into Independence

By Barbara Borgman | Project leader

They look out for each other in Johannesberg

Yes, the old KCV buildings and property where these young people grew up was heavily damaged by a flood in Feb 2021. Yes, we adults were plunged into disheartened dismay over the challenge to build back. Hope's resilience kicked in and we determined to build back , build better, build stronger. But how? What would affimr our hope and hoist us all up and away?

The opportunity came out of the blue. After being sidelined by COVID lockdown, with loss of entry level jobs, during and early 2021, 6 of our young adults at 2020Teen Independent Living, TIL, were invited to Johannesberg to interview for internships in Electrical Technician training.A monthly living stipend and on the job training that includes the coveted Electrical Trade Test at the completion of the course seemed too good to be true!

What did they all have in common? Post matric N3 FET qualification in Electrical Systems, thanks to Ubuntu Education Fund, a linked charity.

Its an exciting milestone for these orphan young adults, with stars in their eyes, and will be a test of their perseverance, deep confidence and spiritual stability that we have poured into their lives for the last 12 years.

Our fabulous group of donors,your deep hears and kindness in looking out for less preivileged children, have been the crucial ingrediant in this marvelous success. We thank you deeply, even as words actually fail to express gratitude.

A Leaving Home party is planned this week. Volleyball, dancing, good food, a chocolate cake will accompany the last words of us adults letting the 'birds fly'. Roots have been given, wings grew, now fly.

Building on the success of these lives, we buckle our work belts on to renovate, build walls, paint, put on new roof after the flood, and work hard to be able to welcome NEW vulnerable and orphan children into Kwethu Childrne's Village. These high flyers will always be home for more encouragement. And we LOVE THAT.

Sharp eye aim for his goal, in this case a cup

She's talent and high achieving, our girl!

Permalink

Mar 5, 2021
Our young KCV men have new 'digs'

By Barbara Borgman | Project Leader

What isn't challenging about life for vulnerable young people needing home, stability, and a future, especially as we all dig out from under a grueling, stressful COVID-year?

Our funding goal for the past 3 months has been to complete the Boys Dorm at Teen Independent Living home. The large, red roofed home all the teens of KCV have been calling home for several years now, is just too small for both boys and girls and the nuclear Mbongwa family in which to live. Though 6 or 7 of these orphan youth are usually away at tertiary ( not duirng COVID year however!), they come 'home ' during holiday.

So in October we decided to steer as much funding as possible towards completing the Boys dorm. It had bene 4 years since we first dreamed of this house and like many buildings in Africa, where capital is hard to come by, we started little by little. Now a handsome 3 bedroom, lounge, bathroom and study room sits proudly on the sandy , weedy ground.

No, the boys can't move in yet. Next week the cement floor is laid, and doors purchased...but the boys are aready dreaming of the beds they'll sleep in the spot to call theirs for the few years they have left with us.

Oh yes, we have a cut off point for living here, marked by having a job, completing a qualification, finding alternate living place. we're proud of the 11 young adults with meaningful work and independent lives, the 7 who are still in school acquiring skills and the 3 who are still coming up.

We find that rural orphaned and vulnerable young people need a longer time towards independence. They are combining Zulu traditional identities with confident social, language and broad world view to which they've been exposed by living with us.

We heartily thank all our donors for what it has taken to complete this dorm. We are adding on line motivation chunks for our distant kids, to keep us all going in the right direction. We are planning to extend this project on GlobalGiving. Please meet us at the Donation Button!

Permalink

‹ 1 2 3 ›

About Project Reports

Project reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.

If you donate to this project or have donated to this project, you can receive an email when this project posts a report. You can also subscribe for reports without donating.