We are taking 250 children to camp, 1 week at a time over 3week period. For 16years we have been taking children to camp, this is where our Lifeskills project and our Code of Conduct becomes life for them. They have to start actively implementing all the training they have received back in their villages. Training such as leadership skills, mapping, compass work etc. Also we plan on running a series of trainings to do with Sex and Sexuality, this reinforces the Code of Conduct.
Teenage pregnancy 13%, HIV infection 22% (15-25yr age group), hopelessness and lack of personal discipline are issues confronting children. 10% of all natural deaths amongst children is suicide, we build capacity and resilience into the children through the activities we provide. We also assist in their school work especially life orientation, life science, english and geography subjects. The camps enable us to empower children to make wise decisions regarding their future.
The camps are not one off activities rather they are based within a larger context. Throughout the year, from the age of 7-18yrs the children attend weekly meetings. The camps are accelerated learning, they enable us to build comprehensively into the children for a period. The child then returns home and through cascade training, shares their learnings with their small and large groups back in their villages. The training builds the childs capacity to make informed educated wise decisions.
In 16 yrs we have worked with in excess of 12,000 children. - Teenage pregnancy has been reduced from 13%provincially to 0.07% amongst our program. Our suicide rate is 0%. Our HIV rate is unknown as we do not pressure the children to reveal the results. We are changing South Africa - one child at a time. The children will not only add to the tax base without being chronically ill from HIV or having a child at a young age but they will be leaders for the future.
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
