Education is not the filling of a bucket, but the lighting of a fire.
W. B. Yeats
The 150 children attending the After School programmes in different groups do so entirely voluntarily and are very eager to learn.
These are students who take their own schooling very seriously and benefit from English, Life Skills and Numeracy Lessons as well as Computer Lessons and access to the Library and Educational TV.
We are very happy with the turnout so far this year. The kids seem to enjoy the slightly more structured lessons a lot and the teachers have been amazing and are working very hard not only to develop their ability to teach youth, but to inspire and motivate these young minds.
Thanks to our Dutch partner Kwasa, we have been able to expand our audio visual library. It is now well-stocked with even more educational dvd’s, general interest, world cultures and natural history.—a little something for everyone, young And old! By giving our learners access to these new worlds, we hope to get them interested and inspire them to want to know and learn more about the world around them and out there. By doing this, we want to simultaneously encourage them to start reading up on and researching new topics.
During the April holidays, Thathiswa, assisted by our Young Angel scholarship students hosted a Netball Workshop for the girls in Considering that we had absolutely no budget for this, it was a roaring success and generated a lot of excitement and interest.
Because of the keen focus on soccer and the nature of the culture in our area, the needs and interests of women, especially young women and girls often gets left behind and therefore MEC would like to start changing it in a small but tangible way.
In keeping with the World Cup excitement, with the help of Kwasa, we had an awesome Sports Workshop during the June holidays. With the help of our fantastic teachers Jay, Thathiswa and Andisiwe, as well as our Young Angels scholarship students and Musa, learners had a chance to practice not only their soccer skills, but also Netball and athletics. It was a roaring success and 85 students received certificates at the end ceremony.
In July, we enjoyed another visit from one of our favourite volunteer groups -- Stellenbosch 9-5! Not only did they bless us with their presence, but they brought loads of material, painted the school and had a fantastic week of lessons!
The TransCape After School Enrichment Project aims to build on existing programs offered at MEC, as well as extend the variety of programs offered. The project will achieve this through the provision of 8 different programs, which link directly with the 8 project objectives. Project objectives
objectives include:
· to fast track and supplement learning through a literacy program which uses computers, workbooks and lesson plans
· to improve reading abilities and interpretation of information through library and reading.
· to increase exposure to ideas, culture, issues, discussion and debate
· to develop a sense of teamwork and identity through a sports program involving soccer, netball and other outdoor games
· to develop creativity, imagination and skills through art, drama and craft
· to educate learners in life skills and making positive choices with a focus on identity, sexuality, health, HIV/AIDS
· to learn about growing food, nutrition and agriculture through the OC Program.
The project will run over the course of three years. The first year will focus heavily on improving the 3 supplementary programs currently running. The second year will introduce 5 new programs including sports, arts, life skills, gardening and the environmental program. The local school will be involved and included in all developments and programs will be replicated in the local school where appropriate. The third and final year will consolidate developments at the MEC site and will begin more focused implementation at the local school, by working with teachers, principals and governing bodies.
150 children, ages 6- 16 years will benefit daily from educational physical and nutritional support. These children will be better motivated to stay in school and apply their knowledge and skill, thereby raising the standard of education offered at the local school. They will also be more likely to continue with their education until High School and stand a better chance of enrolling at a tertiary education institution.
With an increase in after school care, orphans and vulnerable children in the area will be more formally supported by a regular and monitored structure. Home-Based Care workers and OVC advocates, working in other TransCape social projects will communicate with the project in an effort to monitor and support the orphans and vulnerable children. In this way, children who have lost parents or are vulnerable to neglect will be supported and cared for.
There are many dreams we have still to realise and it is our goal to have an activity to offer every child, every day of the week at MEC.
He who opens a school door, closes a prison.
Victor Hugo
