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 | Aug 27, 2025
Momentum is Growing - 9 CLA's!

By Louise | Managing Director

Surprise I am Surprise!

Avuxeni! Minjane? Umfekile Minjane!

I hope you are well and enjoying life? I hope that life is treating you kindly and that you are prospering in all that you do!

We also are trundling along.

I so love what I do. It is so rewarding to see the impact we are having on the children, women and families that we support. It really is exciting.

Currently, as of today, tomorrow will be different, we have 9CLA’s (Cluster Level Associations) in process. Two are fully fledged and the remainder are in process of being established. This is so exciting. Through the CLA’s the focus becomes no longer “Me and My Family”, but rather “Me and MY Community”. Changes are brought in at community level.

A CLA is made up of 8-10 Self Help Groups, with two representatives from each SHG, serving at the CLA. This executive arm takes community-based issues identified by the SHG’s to the various stakeholders to ensure that the concerns are addressed. As I reported in 2023, Bokamoso CLA were able to have 6 Boreholes repaired. Now they have turned their sights upon addressing crime in their communities and consequently through engaging with the South African Police Service (SAPS) and developing Crime Prevention Forums they are orchestrating the removal of thugs and bandits from their four villages. Their villages have become safer for all now.

The CLA has seven functions:

Forming new SHG’s
Strengthening current SHG’s

3. Facilitate meeting the communities needs either material or services

4. Facilitate meeting of service needs within the community.

5. Work towards social transformation in the community by addressing social problems

6. Participation in governance, lobbying and advocacy in the community

7. Carry out administrative functions: such as writing reports, paying for a community facilitator, creating a wise investment for sustainability purposes.

CLA Tswelopele has prioritized the upskilling of Early Childhood Practitioners at the local Creche in their area to ensure that the agreed upon curriculum is being taught to standard through negotiations with the Department of Education. Other support to the creche includes the provision of quality services and resources to the children and their families, plus mentoring the creche in regard to how to run a business, budgeting, conflict resolution, upskilling staff, Train the Trainer training as examples.This CLA is also discussing community concerns with CN Phatudi’s (Hospital/Clinic Service) CEO regarding poor service delivery, staff shortages, attitudes of staff especially in respect to foreign nationals. This will be a long-term engagement but the ladies are determined to succeed and bring substantial change to their communities.

Skills transfer is taking place, KTD196 is able to take pride in the work we are doing because the impact is real. Every where we go we are asked for our programs, when are we bringing SHG or the Children’s Project to their village. The limitation is only money, we have the buy in which is more than 90% of the battle. You have enabled this, YOUR SUPPORT has done this. Thank you so much for partnering with us to bring real, grassroots change.

Blessings to you

Louise

Hello, I am Surprise, a 22-year-old from Nyanyukani village. I live with my parents and younger sister, and I’m grateful for their love and support. I am one of the youngest and newest members of the KTD196 Dream Team.

I’m a driven and self-motivated individual with strong communication skills. I completed my grade 12 at Dumela High School in 2021. I started work for the first time with KTD196 in January of 2025. I love the work I do, I love making a difference. I also enjoy working in the Children’s Project. I went away camping for the first time in July this year. It was a great experience.

I’m now focused on furthering my studies and ultimately securing a permanent job. As a devote Christian, my faith guides me in my personal and professional life. I’m a quick learner, and I believe in learning from my past experiences to grow and improve. Thank you for giving me this chance to shine.

We are STRONGER TOGETHER!

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Aug 19, 2025
Introducing Rachel - SHG Community Facilitator!

By Louise | Managing Director

Rachel our Community Faciliator for SHG Program.

Avuxeni, minjani? Umfekile minjane!

One of the things I love about the work we do is that we are able to lift up and empower even our staff! Now you might think this is a no-brainer but in RSA it is unusual to invest time in skills transfer, and staff development. Because what we as KTD196 do is community development, we have a passion to see people rise and become all they can be. My approach to leadership is very different to the traditional style of autocratic and dictatorial approach which I commonly see in other companies.

When we have a new staff member join us, yes we go through an onboarding process, they receive their job descriptions, but they are also encouraged to think outside of the box and “create” their dream job using their job descriptions as a basis. There are deliverables each month that need to be met, however we encourage out of the box thinking, working together and producing better outcomes by empowering our staff.

Many companies (I think because of Apartheid) give the job description with the added codicil of “Do what I tell you to do, how I tell you to do it, don’t get creative, don’t think you can do it better, just do what you are told.” This is especially true for rural African folk who may or may not have had a job in the past. Creativity, active thinking, problem solving etc are not part of the employment culture, usually.

It is exciting to see the excitement that freedom generates, in most people. Some people who have been employed before under the DO AS I TELL YOU structure, often struggle to adjust but we work with them patiently to break down the past understanding and move forward.

Because of the institutional support from our donors, we have been able to employ new staff, unemployed African women who have grasped our program with both hands. We have staff employed by one program volunteering in the other program, because they LOVE IT. It is so satisfying and encouraging. So with no further delay let me introduce you to Rachel, a lady who joined us earlier this year.

Thank you for supporting us and helping us make a difference in everyone’s lives. It really is special, when ever we have visitors come to see us, one comment that is made is the genuine love and affection the staff have for the work they do, the people they serve and KTD196 as a family.

Blessings

Louise

I'm Rachel, 35 years of age, born and raised in the beautiful Magapeng village in Tzaneen. I'm the fifth child in a big family of nine. I've got a certificate in Ancillary Health Care and Business Management from IQ Academy.

I'm thrilled to be working as a Self-Help Group Community Facilitator for KTD 196, I joined the team in January this year. I currently live in Burgersdorp village and I am a mother of three amazing children.

My goal is to learn, grow, and make a real difference in my community. I'm passionate about helping those in need, boosting others' confidence, and playing a part in growing KTD 196. And I'm working hard on building my own confidence too, so I can share my knowledge and experience with others in the best way possible.

I love the SHG program, I get to help other women like me reclaim their financial futures. I also love KTD196 children’s project, the kids are just amazing, they have so much energy, being apart of KTD196 is life changing. I feel like I make such a difference to people.

Thank you for your support of KTD196.

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Aug 13, 2025
Induna's are joining the band wagon!

By Louise | Managing Director

Leadership Training with Induna's

You wont guess what I have heard! It is so funny! In the children’s program we foster a healthy competitive spirit amongst the patrols (Small groups), Troops (Large groups) and then districts. It creates a lovely atmosphere, and all the kids enjoy the comradery and the fun of it all to compete.

Last year I told you about the ladies had a competition for their SHG Celebration Day. Already they are preparing for their special 2025 SHG celebration day, they are going to have dance off’s, sing competitions, poetry reading etc as a competition on the day, the bug as been caught from the children.

Well, what has happened now? Now the Induna’s are having a friendly competition amongst themselves! It comes down to how many SHG groups each Induna has in their village, how many cub packs, and scout troops they have. They are approaching my staff in their villages to open more groups at every level and finding volunteers to help us with the new groups.

We are going to slightly hijack the competitive nature and include in the competition a more formal element, that of running Junior Ward Committees! It is so fun to see what we do being picked up and inculcated into the community by adults as something they see that has value. Over time I hope it will also include some other ideas we have brewing for example safe houses for women and children to run to if they feel under threat. But issues like that need to be discussed, planned and processed at community level so that it can be introduced across all the villages that we work with at the same time. It’s a idea that has been on my heart for a year or so, but it all takes time.

The Induna’s, as leaders of their villages hold the keys to our success and acceptance in the communities we serve. We made sure that every time we went into the villages to start something, that we asked their permission and included them in the processes. We also have provided many trainings to them as part of our commitment to the traditional system of government. Indunas are primarily men, but now we are seeing women become traditional leaders, the role is passed through the blood line and linked to the Chiefs.

When we first started, Induna’s did not receive a stipend, or any form of recompense, however they worked and lived in their communities 24hours a day, 7 days a week and were responsible for everything that goes on, from water to sanitation, crime prevention, education, animal husbandry, roads, electricity provision, deaths, allocation of stands for housing. Their job description is huge, and they carry the load. Now, 20yrs later they receive a small stipend in comparison to the work they do, but that is not the point, they are dedicated and committed to the people they serve, which is wonderful.

Anyway, I thought you might like to share the joke.

Have a fabulous day, enjoy the blessings you have.

Louise

The Induna's so appreciate the work we do!

The training gives the Induna's a chance to learn

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