Programme of education for young women and girls in Johannesburg

Local Entity :
Komati Foundation

Synthetic data of the project
Harambee contribution : € 33,636.60
Contribution from local organization (Komati Foundation) : € 3,737.40
Project Duration : 2003-2004

At the end of the period planned for the project, the predicted courses had been held. The level of teaching was considerably enhanced by the new equipment acquired with the contribution from Harambee, with the resultant improvement in the standards of the courses on offer.

Description of the project
The project targeted the education of women, both young and adult. This is an essential part of tackling the most urgent problems of the area (dropouts from school, prostitution, unemployment, HIV-AIDS, high divorce rate). The aim of the Foundation running the project was to train 57 university students to run integrated courses for women and children in non-urban areas. So far 600 people have been through these courses. The indirect beneficiaries of the project are members of 5,000 families in severely under-developed socio-economic conditions – 80% unemployed, 70% HIV-positive and 70% of children receiving no formal education.

South Africa. Making Pre-school and Elementary School Possible for Marginalized Children in Pretoria.

Promoter: Komati Foundation Women Development
Duration: 1 year
Cost: € 21,918

Context:
This project concerns the marginalized area of Atteridgeville, in Pretoria, where the unemployment rate has reached 50% and half the population is infected with AIDS. It is also a very normal practice for husbands to leave their wives and more often than not women find themselves having to raise their children alone, often turning to prostitution to make ends meet. Most children are affected by poor nutrition and unsanitary living conditions. School is the only reference point most of them have, yet poor economic possibilities, a lack of basic infrastructures and widespread ignorance stand in the way of an adequate education .

Objective:
The objective of the project is to allow marginalized children in Atteridgeville, Pretoria entrance into St. Anne’s Primary School and to involve young university volunteers in the initiative. This goal can be reached by improving infrastructures and providing school materials, all while promoting the concept of “responsible citizenship” through the involvement of volunteer university students.

Recipients:
-383 children ages 3-12;
-10 professors;
-15 volunteers (South African University Students);
-1,179 families will indirectly benefit from these activities.