Lifeskills for 250 children in Africa

As we start 2019 strong, I overwhelmed by the faithful ongoing support of our supporters and partners.  Additionally, I want to also thank the many new donors who have chosen to help KTD continue to impact lives of the Open and Vulnerable Children that we serve in a very real way. Thank you!!!

Welcome to all our new supporters, especially those who have joined us over the last few months.

Over the last four months we have seen an explosion of support through GlobalGiving so we have a lot of new people who may not know our history and I thought it important to just go over our back ground so that you have a context to understand the work we do.

I came to South Africa as an Australian Volunteer working for the Department of Health and seconded to a Home Based Care Organization in Tzaneen. My back ground is Nursing and I have 20yrs experience in Palliative Care (Care of the Dying) and 15yrs experience in Community Health Education and Promotion. Within the first 6months we held a SWOT (Strength, Weakness, Opportunity and Threat) Analysis with over 200 Caregivers (local ladies who work in their villages providing support to the ill and dying).

During the SWOT I asked the question "What was your greatest heart ache?" Fully expecting the Caregivers to say "Caring for people who are dying!" What they said was "Watching Orphan and Vulnerable Children drop out or school, get pregnant, get in to drugs, alcohol, gangs, becoming HIV infected and killing themselves." I was tasked with DO SOMETHING!

For the next 6months I researched programs locally, provincially, nationally and internationally and developed a multi-tiered program with multiple activities to address the needs of the children. I also spoke to a small focus group of 13 children and asked them what they wanted, their answer "To learn new things, have new experiences, meet new people and to have fun".

At that time I partnered up with Elizabeth Mabuza and she and I started the bones of Keep The Dream196 in Nov of 2003 with 13 girls. We used the Scouts program as the vehicle to get the children engaged and then added other programs and training like Boys2Men training, Journey of Life, Sexual and Relational Health Promotion to name a few.

Within 6months we had 60children attending on a weekly basis and I was fortunately able to secure funding to run a camp and train 50 new adults from the local communities who would in turn run the program in their villages. By the end of 2004 we had in excess of 1,100 children and Keep The Dream196 was unofficially born.

In 20017 it was time for Keep The Dream196 to fly, so giving up our secure day jobs, KTD196 was birthed in August 2007. Since that time, Elizabeth and I have continued to work together growing the program to influence not just a few villages but we have been in approximately 140 villages within Great Tzaneen Sub-District and have also stretched out into Limpopo Province in various places. We have seen in excess now of 14,000 children over 16yrs. It has been a huge adventure learning to run a None Governmental Organization in a hostile environment. The changes we see in the children make all of our hardships worthwhile.

I am excited to share more of what will be achieved in 2019 in coming reports however now I want to sincerely thank you in advance for your support and belief in the dreams of the youth that we serve. 

What I would also like to do is to invite you to our Colour Fun Run to be held on the 23rd February @0630 (because of the heat). Registration is R20 per child, R30 per youth and R50 per adult. All proceeds will go towards KTD196 and registration of the children in the Scouts program. So whether you run, hop, walk, amble, ride a bike, push a pram, have a wheelchair you are invited to come and meet the children we serve, see Shiluvane village and be a part of the FUN.

Louise

My name is Katlego from Mhangweni village and I am doing grade 12. I’ve been in scouts for 6 years. I joined scouts just for fun because when I joined scouts I was 12 years old and I liked the games they were playing but then there was a lot to learn. Before I joined Keep The Dream106, I was a naughty boys who disrespected his parents and siblings. I never listened to what they used to tell me or instructed me to do because of that I was feeling as if I was older than them. My parents tried to call family meetings and church pastor for me but then failed them.

The reason I did all such things was that I wanted to please my friends. I had no respect for the environment and how to take care of it. At school I used to disobey my teachers and also didn’t do my school work and I hated people with not reason, I had no respect anyone. I violated people’s rights. After I've been part of Keep The Dream196 there were so many changes in my life. Keep The Dream19 taught me how to take care of the environment; how to respect people and even scout law no5 states that “a scout is courteous”. I now know how to obey my parents and school teachers. The first time they introduced the laws to me I couldn’t follow them because they were difficult to me. I had this positive thought that I have to do my best to follow them and I had patience while doing so.

Now I am a transformed person, I know what is right and what is wrong; I treat everyone equal because a scout is a friend to all and brother to every other scout. I remember the Keep The Dream196 took me to training called PLTU, I had an accident where my arm was broken so KTD196 showed me love and support, they helped me in each step I came across until my arm was better, there is no way in which I can depart from this program because there are so many good things they teach. Grow big Keep The Dream196, I love you and your team!

Quick update from Katlego, he has passed matriculation with a bachelors entry to University. He is currently fighting for a place in Johannesburg as he wants to do Law primarily because he has a passion to fight corruption especially within the legal system itself. 

Links:

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• Be introduced to KTD196 myself, the staff and children

Welcome to all our new supporters and Friends as we commence 2019. 

Happy New Year to everyone and thank you for making 2018 a Happy New Year for everyone touched by KTD196. 

I have been overwhelmed by the support we have received from people we both know and have supported us for years as well as those we don't know. There are over 5,700 different projects registered on Global Giving and because of your support we actually were rated #7 and received a $250 bonus from Global Giving for the gifts you have given.

What this means is that the strategic plans we made at the end of 2018 will come to fruition. These plans include:

1. Introducing a Meerkat program for children aged 5-7years. No longer will these younger children have to stand outside the gate watching their older siblings have all the fun, now we have a program that will cater to their needs and bring them into a program that will inculcate them with the values and skills to achieve their dreams. 

2. Being able to continue services to the 2,500 plus children we already serve and incorporating more children in to current groups. This will expand our impact and our footprint in to Limpopo Province. 

3. We also are going to be able to take children to camp. I can hear some people say "So what?" Well, camp is where we take children out of their daily circumstances (for example: those children caring for ill and dying parents, or children under the threat of violence within the community of home, or impoverished children who are not able to eat more than once a day). By taking them to camp we spend extensive time training the children in skills and they will achieve rewards (badges) and return to their communities with skills they will then train other children in their small groups on their return. This cascade form of training builds up the self esteem of the child; it strengthens their self confidence and builds the child up in the eyes of their peers. What we are also able to do is allow children to have fun and just be children, often a very overlooked need for the children in this area.

2018 was a wonderful year with many achievements, some of which include:

1. With over 12,000 children who have come through our program since 2003, we have had only 10 pregnancies throughout this time. Once again we have had a year without any teen pregnancies. We should statistically have approximately 180 pregnancies but because of our program which focusses on helping children achieve their goals, the girls have made a decision to abstain, which is reinforced by the program, and continue to plan and implement that plan to achieve their goals.

2. Teenage suicide rate is 12.7%, we have had no suicides in 2018. This is due to the resilience we build in to the children through our program. We position the children for success. We develop the children's skills to overcome temporary obstacles, we also provide support for those children with chronic obstacles that require more support for example: being orphaned, having ill and dying parents, experiencing abuse within the home. Our children have the skills to navigate life and its complexities and if more help is required we are available to provide extensive support and referral if necessary to other resources.

3. None of our children have been involved in crime or substance abuse throughout 2018. 

These are just some of our achievements in 2018, all of which is due to the support we have received from you!

Now, because of the extra support from our new supporters at the end of 2018 through the year end campaign, we have the opportunity to do more, to be more effective, to change the face of Greater Tzaneen Municipality and extending into Limpopo Province. To bring about substantial change for the children of Limpopo.

It is so exciting and I hope you feel excited as well?

You are a part of our success because seriously, we could never do all we do without you!

Please if you have any questions, any comments, any queries please contact me at keepthedream196@gmail.com

Thank you, Thank you so much for all of your support and interest in Keep The Dream196. 

With much gratitude

Louise

Testimony from Elizabeth one of our Volunteers from the United Kingdom

From September to December 2017, I had the privilege of volunteering with ‘Keep The Dream 196’ on the ICS program. The program included myself as well as other volunteers got the chance to volunteer in South Africa for 3 months. 

During my time in Limpopo, I volunteered in a team which consisted of 3 UK volunteers and 4 South African volunteers. We still regularly keep in contact with KTD196 and I am thankful for the friendships made in South Africa. I was able to work alongside the staff of KTD196 and I was inspired by the great work they do for the vulnerable children and orphans in their community.

KTD 196 aims to build young people from the ages of 7 to 26 years to be resilient and respectful. My role was to lead games and deliver some of the sessions to the children and young adults that came to the weekly programs at various different communities in Limpopo. Through KTD196s program I was able to motivate and inspire those children that came. The children wanted to be educated and become socially conscious young people who want to make a change in their community. 

A year later, I am still impacted by my experience overseas as it has opened my eyes to a world much bigger than London. I am currently training as a secondary school Maths teacher and volunteering with KTD196 as well as Tinghitsi School and Mohlaba Creche has made me more passionate about quality education. The adults, friends and children I met in South Africa valued and appreciated so much what was offered was truly humbling to see. Children and young adults who might be young carers for family members or suffering a loss in the family (just to name a few,) are given an hour or two a week of respite to take their mind off their other commitments and just have some fun with their age mates.

One of my highlights was getting the opportunity to spend extensive time with some of the children at a KTD196 camp that I went to with some of the team. Watching the children have fun, to relax and enjoy their environment, spend time achieving new goals, it was so exciting to watch.

When I came back home to London, I managed to raise some money to support the great work KTD196 are doing in Limpopo by setting up a JustGiving page as well as selling cupcakes and brownies after church. I am very thankful for the life changing experience I had in South Africa and it is one that I’ll never forget.

Elizabeth

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