Vision, Mission & Aims
Silver
9 projects awarded Silver in 2010
Eye Care and Home Care
A lack of affordable medical services in and around Grahamstown has meant that many people in the area are not able to access healthcare. To address this, St John Grahamstown has established two programmes: The Community Eye Clinic; and Home-Based Care/First Aid training.
Music Therapy Clinic
Numerous groups of adults and children across the country experience trauma from different sources, including crime and violence, abuse, HIV-infection, long-term hospitalization (eg. for HIV or TB), and those who care for those with HIV/TB. Many also have no outlet for this trauma, and battle to cope with everyday life, meaning those who care for them (eg. caregivers, educators at schools) also struggle. Music Therapy has been identified as a means of dealing with this trauma, and channeling it in a constructive manner. The Music Therapy Community Clinic (MTCC) was therefore developed in 2003 to provide music therapy services to underprivileged and previously disadvantaged communities.
Dreamfields
Despite the aims of country-wide development in the build-up to the 2010 World Cup, it is likely that the majority of this impact will be felt in the urban areas. Thus, Dreamfields was established in 2007 in partnership with Old Mutual and BHP Billiton, with the aim of developing football resources in more rural areas, and encouraging the development of football teams and leagues.
Violence Prevention Through Urban Upgrading
Khayelitsha, outside Cape Town in the Western Cape, has been identified as one of the most dangerous areas in the country, with incredibly high rates of murder and rape, as well as other crimes. This is the result of numerous factors, including a lack of access to services, employment opportunities, schooling etc. City of Cape Town (CoCT) therefore partnered with the German government, through the German Development Bank (Kfw), to try to develop the Khayelitsha area to reduce crime, and to improve the safety of residents in the area.
Christel House SA
Christel House international was started in 1996 in the US, aiming to provide quality education to those who would not normally be able to access it. The South African branch – Christel House SA (CHSA) – was opened in 2002 with 292 students (from Grade 1 to 5). The school now has a high school and a primary school, encompassing all grades from Grade R to 12. The focus is on a holistic approach to education, and so the school also focuses on health and wellness, community outreach, and service learning.
Run Home to Read
Despite the importance of Earl Childhood Development (ECD) in a child’s formative years (0-7years), many children do not have access to any kind of interventions or stimulation. These children struggle more at schools than those who do receive ECD, as they have missed out on an important developmental step. Project Literacy therefore developed the Run Home to Read (RHTR) programme, to help encourage ECD for those children who do not have access to formal centres.
Thembani Handcraft Project
The town of Bedford in the Eastern Cape faces high levels of unemployment and poverty, and there are few viable options for employment in the town. Thus, it was decided to establish a project which could provide employment opportunities and skills-development, as well as providing assistance to the Thembani Special Day Care Centre. The main focus was on empowering women, who face high levels of domestic violence, and are often unable to leave if abused, because they are financially dependant on their partner. Thus, the project also aimed to empower these women to become independent and access their own source of income.
Organic Classroom Programme
Schools Environmental Education and Development (SEED) therefore developed the Organic Classroom Programme, which assists learners and schools to develop permaculture gardens, which can enhance food security, and provide a learning opportunity about the environment, conservation and food security. It also aims to career-path permaculture, by providing accredited training so that people can turn permaculture initiatives into viable career or economic opportunities. Thus, SEED helps schools to develop permaculture gardens, which supplement school feeding schemes; assists educators to use this as a teaching tool; develops, publishes and distributes textbooks and training materials; and provides accredited Permaculture Training.
2010 Green Goal Action Plan
The choosing of Cape Town as a World Cup host city presented a unique challenge in the country: the city was managed by the DA at local level, and by the ANC at provincial level (until May 2009). Thus, coordinating all the different groups to ensure that the event had a positive, rather than negative, environmental impact was due to be difficult. It was therefore decided to run a series of workshops which would involve the different stakeholders in discussion about the main aims of projects surrounding the event; and on specific projects to be implemented.
