February…

Greetings from our little house of fun in Mpophomeni, to those of you in the UK, we hope you are keeping warm in all the snow! February has been BUSY, not with any specific events or celebrations, but busy with LOTS of kids joining Ed Support. 124 new children accessed Ed Support this month and we have supported on average 91 children a day! We’re not quite sure how they’ve all fitted in each day, but they have. The regular high attendance numbers each day has led us to looking for a new venue for some of our groups to happen in and we are in the process of talking to a school close by to see if we can use some of their facilities and grow in partnership with them.

Take a look at how many children from each grade have accessed support this month…
Grade R-2 : 64
Grade 3-4 : 80
Grade 5-7 : 119
Grade 8-12 : 24

And the number children supported in different subject areas…
Maths : 266
Language : 253
Reading : 65
Homework : 66
Science : 22
Life skills : 20
Extra activities : 171

New children accessing support : 124

The attendance and engagement in the Ed Support Programme this month has been very exciting, encouraging and scary! Many of our kids whose attendance dropped at the end of the year have returned and are bringing their friends too; many of our kids are attending more regularly than other years and lots of kids are being intentional about bringing and completing their homework.

February has been a month of settling into a bit of a new routine with changes to some of the class times and the way homework time works. The changes have meant that at all times throughout the afternoon children are engaged in some sort of activity with a session leader, whether it be outdoor play; reading or homework or an education session.

There has been a lot of excitement in the daily reading sessions and children are enjoying the time and space to sit down each day either on their own or with someone and read before the afternoon starts.

We love sharing the stories of the kids we work with and are encouraged by the impact the Ed Support Programme is having in so many different ways. This is Nolwazi’s story of hope as told by her mentor…

Nolwazi started in Grade 5 this year and has been attending Education Support since 2016. She lives at home with her mother and five sisters, and like many families in Mpophomeni, her mother struggles to find employment and provide for her family to day-to-day necessities needed for living.

When Nolwazi first started attended the ES Programme, the team were very concerned about her behaviour, from what they saw afterschool and from reports from her teachers. Nolwazi was often caught up in bullying other children and fighting; she was failing in school and struggling to read.

Through attendance of the ES Programme and mentorship with a team member, we have seen changes in Nolwazi’s behaviour, attitude and school work. In June, she joined a small group for learners who were really struggle to grasp the basic foundations of English and who spend time focusing on developing reading skills and other foundational language skills. At the end of 2017 Nolwazi passed 4 of her subjects which was a great success for her! The small group has also given her space and a safe time to develop her own communication skills and learn how to interact with other children in kind and loving ways. The ES Programme has also been able to support Nolwazi’s family monthly through home visits and basic food parcels which help with their day-to-day needs.

Nolwazi has found a place at the ES programme which is safe, where she is loved regardless of her behaviour and a place in which she can learn (for school and for life).

We have had some new volunteers join us weekly all the way from the US. Our wonderful Azuza Pacific Students who are completing a study abroad semester spend one day a week with us and join in with home visits, reading and homework time and then leading small groups in the education sessions. It’s wonderful having their support and the on going relationship we have with APU is exciting.