Education South Africa Project #15130

Lifeskills for 8 children in South Africa - Pilot

A microproject by Keep The Dream196

Lifeskills for 8 children in South Africa - Pilot

Project Report | Dec 3, 2020
Why KTD196 is a Great Investment!

By Louise | Jack of all trades, master of none!

Boys2Men activity

Thank you to all who participated in the #GivingTueday appeal, it is so encouraging to know you have our backs. Welcome to our new supporters and greetings to our older sponsors. You have meant the difference between life and death for some of our kids. I can't thank you enough.

WHY IS KTD196 A GREAT INVESTMENT?

Our programs in Keep the Dream196 are effective and impactful as it has been for 17years! Why? Part of the reason for this sustained impact that has changed the lives of over 15,000 children is because of activities that we run at our camps and weekly during our village-based meetings. We are effectively replicating our program around the province plus we have a cabal of older children coming back into the program as young adults, leading the way for the future!

FOR EXAMPLE:

Our camp allows the kids to come out of their home environments, release stress, and take a break from the strains of caring for elderly or ill parents, escape the fear of being taken (kidnapped) to winter initiation school and the boredom associated with having unstructured school holidays.

We train those who are able to come to camp ( and it’s not camping for the sake of camping! ) The camps we run are life-changing. We train the children in a variety of skills that they will use throughout their lives.

We provide teaching and training on the following: HIV prevention, support, and treatment; First Aid; Boys2Men training which unpacks what is a real man in today’s society, often we have found that boys have no clue about what is a real male role model.

So often young boys see older men having BMW's, gold chains, a slew of children, and an international model on each arm as a success. Never knowing what is real and right. We help young men discover the truth. We help them envisage how they would like their own children to remember them.

For the reason that we deal with orphaned and vulnerable children, out of 100 boys who have attended training 90% didn’t have fathers. Their fathers were absent from their lives, deceased, or in jail. Also, of the 10% remaining 90% of those wished they didn’t have fathers because of the abuse experienced. This is such a sad indictment of the role of fathers in families and in society.

The function of a father was reduced to that of a supplier of basic necessities. The boys stated that fathers are there to provide money for food, shelter and school fees, and uniforms. Each child stated that it was all they thought a father’s role was because that was all they had experienced.

Most of us know that fathers provide so much more than food and shelter, however, this is not what the kids in our communities know and we wonder why young men have twice the HIV rate as the females, why the teenage pregnancy rate is so high and why young men do not take any responsibility for the children they have created.

The kids have no idea what a good father is! A majority have never experienced fathering themselves. This training is essential for building a healthy tomorrow. For creating well-balanced families, it is important that children are taught so that they will be active and proper fathers in their lives for the future.

In one activity the boys exchange shoes and wear their friend's shoes. This symbolizes other people's knowledge about "what is a real man", it shows how this knowledge doesn't fit them, it doesn't feel right and can actually cripple you if you try and walk in other people's truths if they are not correct. See the photo above.

We dream of a future of fathers who are there to provide love, care, and support! Fathers who are there to guide their children into becoming responsible citizens for the future. Fathers who will discipline and protect their children from making mistakes. Fathers who will take their role seriously. No longer will we have generations of orphaned children because fathers choose to be absent from their child’s life. This is only a part of what we do at our camp and why your ongoing support is so important.

By reinforcing what has been learned at camp at community meetings we are changing how families look into the future. We are providing key information to young men about their roles as fathers, we are breaking the cycles of gender-based violence, of absentee fathers, of non-engaged male role models. WE are building generationally, through your help!

This is why KTD196 is a great investment. We are making a difference now and into the future

God bless you

Louise

The look of joy is priceless!

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Nov 25, 2020
Thank you! Plain and simple!

By Louise | Humble Servant

Nov 17, 2020
Juvenile Crime and KTD196

By Louise | Jack of all trades, master of none!

Welcome to our community report, once again thank you to all our new givers, I hope that the reports you are being sent will help you understand why KTD196 is so vital and why your support is so coveted. To all of those who have walked a road with us over the years, we can all be proud of the impact we have attained and the amazing changes we are producing in the lives of the young people we work with.

The causes of crime are complex. Most people today accept that poverty, parental neglect, low self-esteem, alcohol and drug abuse are all connected in explaining why people commit crimes. Some people are simply at greater risk of becoming offenders because of the circumstances into which they are born. For example: 40% of sexual offences occur in the home; 33% of assaults happen in the home; single black women experience high levels of abuse and murder by youth aged 15-35yrs of age.

We understand that Criminality is learnt through exposure at home, school and in social environments which should be the sources of safety, nurturing and support, unfortunately this is where criminal behaviour is internalised. Did you know that 70% of the 20million (or 14Million) South African youth are more likely to be victims and perpetrators of assault, robbery, rape and murder than adults! 50.2% of surveyed children in one research said they had knowingly committed a criminal offence by the time they were 15yrs of age.

It costs between R45,625 to R133,805 to incarcerate one prisoner.

In 17years, with over 15,000 children who have come through the program Keep The Dream196 has had one child criminally involved with the police and because of his age deemed incompetent to stand trial for his crime.

In South Africa, a study by the Centre for Justice and Crime Prevention showed that young people who have been victims of violence were six times more likely to commit a crime than those who have not been victimized. Measures to prevent violence by and against the youth have great potential to reduce crime rates in the community. If we address the youth cause of juvenile crime and strengthening the youth’s resilience from risk factors, preventive programs can decrease the youth’s susceptibility to violence and crime.

In our programs, we teach the children how to properly socialize with their peers and understand the importance of rules and regulations. We teach them to be proper citizens respectful of law and order. You can be proud of the work we do and the impact we have. We are changing lives and futures for rural, previously disadvantaged children and their communities. Together!

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