Lifeskills for 8 children in South Africa - Pilot

Dear Community,

Welcome to all our new supporters, your encouragement is so wonderful that you chose us to be the recipient of your gift, I hope you enjoy being a part of the Dream196 Team. Thank you also to our long term supporters, together we are changing lives and making a real difference in children’s lives and in families where we operate. Seriously we are saving lives together.

Today I want to share the excitement of going to camp. We have funding to take some children to camp however a number of children have been saving since January to ensure they can come to camp. We charge approximately $15US for the kids to come for 5days camping. This covers food only. The menu is very basic such as: walkie talkies (chicken heads and feet), Mopani worms (a local cheap delicacy of caterpillars) and pap (a staple made of maize).

Our aim is to give as many children as possible the opportunity to experience camping and the joys of marshmallows, campfires and star gazing but what we do is so much more. The children will be learning how to monitor and evaluate their own groups, to create action plans to address the issues they have identified. They will also be learning map reading; compass work; first aid and leadership skills to name a few activities.

So from the 17^th June we will be at camp. Please check out Facebook to see the daily activities and fun we are having.

I want to leave you with a smile on your face as you consider you have helped make all of this possible.

Thank you

Louise

"My name is Hlulani, I grew up in a dysfunctional environment where life was shaped by the behaviour of the community, and some may call it peer-pressure. I was born in 1994/11/06 in a family whereby my father was the only bread winner, this had an impact on my growth. As I grew up I had to go to school with people who had enough at their homes. I watched them tease me because I never even had pocket money. I went to school not enjoying because I was forced. When I reached grade 5 I went to initiation school and this was a turning point for me. My life became a mess, I became something I don’t even believe I was now. When I went to grade 6, both my parent had to go and work at Johannesburg to supplement the needs of the family. They left me at home with my neighbour to look after me, I then dropped out of school.

I unleashed my so called “pseudo manhood”, I thought I had it all under control and knew what I was doing. Pity I had no idea I was only fantasising which fantasies would never have had flourished, I became naughty. I did not listen to people who tried advising or putting some sense into me because I thought I was a man. I repeated grade 6 where I was always fighting and when interrogated about the fights I had no sugar-way of talking to adults I was always rude.

When I went to grade 7 I met people who were almost thinking the same way I did, we influenced each other, wherein a class a teacher could only reach the two-front row. We enjoyed that because that’s what we wanted, we did not want to be in the spotlight with teachers. By this time I was also involved with an organisation called Sizanani which worked together with Keep the Dream 196. Keep the Dream196 focused on changing the lives of teenager to the right path using the scout laws, motto, and promise which also enshrine in them words from the bible. They enforced behaviour change but a lot of us did not take them serious because we thought we were man’s enough to be playing games.

June 2009, Sizanani selected a few learners to attend a scout camp at westfalia, I was one of them with my other two friends. When we arrived at the camp we continually thought it was just for fun and did not take it serious. We continued to play at the camp and they noticed us, they separated us and created competitions. Those competitions ensured that we brought our A-game, we all wanted to win and it came to my attention that it was not about competitions but to ensure that we conform to the group, we respect other members, learn to share and to work with others.

My eyes opened, I saw a future in the scouts, I learnt to live by the laws, motto and scout promise. It impacted my life in a positive way, because they enforced that scouts are not failures, instead they smile and whistle under all difficulties and persist to achieve. I took advantage of Keep the Dream196’s vision and mission and it worked for me, I started advancing on my English, communication, writing and academics. From that point I never failed a grade with guidance provided to me by Keep the dream 196.

Keep the Dream196 monitored my progress, they realised that education provided at schools was never enough for one’s life, it needs supplements from other skills thus, they offered me some skills like teaching or training. Keep the Dream196 restored my life, they continually empowered me in a way that I said to myself that failure will never be an option. Through the leadership position I occupied my focus shifted from fake ideologies I had, to school and scouts only. It shaped what I wanted to be, I decided I wanted to be a teacher or a social worker which had to do with changing teenagers minds. 2016 January after receiving my matric results I attempted to enrol at Univen, Turf and TUT but I could not, Keep the Dream196 again came to my rescue offering me a job which was not necessary a job but skills and experience that enable me to mobilise resources to use when I do enrol at varsity. Currently I have enrolled at Wits University as a second-year social work student because of Keep the Dream196. I am well motivated and I still live by the scout laws, promise and motto, distance may take away my duties as a scout but I will always be part of Keep the Dream196’s program."

Links:

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Welcome all our new supporters to Keep The Dream196 Community,

I trust you will find this report interesting and inspiring concerning the impact we are achieving on your behalf with the children we serve. To all our longer standing supporters, G’DAY and thank you for your continued support and interest in the work we do.

I thought today I would share some comments that you have made on GlobalGiving’s site to me. Some of these comments are from people who I know and other comments by people I don't know who have visited our program personally.

Anyway I thought it would be interesting for you to have feedback from other supporters just like you. 

"I have visited them, have been donating for years and know that every cent is spent on the children and their programmes. The few paid staff work for low wages because they love what they do and can see positive results for their efforts. Many deprived children are encouraged and enabled to go to schools and their exam results exceed the average for the Province enabling them to go to university or higher education. The children are encouraged to become Scout Leaders so that they can organise and raise money to go to camps thus giving them additional useful life skills. " Bob

"I contribute to this program and rate this program highly because of its continued caring and success rate in growing scouts, orphans, as well as community members into contributing connected adults who care about each other. I believe in the miracle of Keep the Dream." Anonymous

"I love what KTD196 are doing. They are relevant and vital!“ Anonymous

 “I choose to give contribute my time, energy and commitment to KTD196 as the programme resonates with my interest in community development. The programme deals with fundamental challenges that our children and their care givers are experiencing.  It also assists in providing guidance to the young ones. 

"The love KTD196 team show to the children also drew me closer to the organization. Seeing them happy and full of life brings hope that they are really prepared to be better individuals. 

The contribution KTD196 is making in reducing social ills such as teen pregnancy and substance abuse gives me comfort knowing that we are making a difference for the future generations.”  Gillian – Board Member

“"KTD is now being recognised by donors that they are all about the children and their parents and that they have something positive to offer the community.”  Principal of one of the schools in which we work.

"The results speak for themselves. I know that every dollar contributed is spent on the children. Donors to the programme can be assured that their money is well spent on the kids and not on administration” Liz

"I have visited the project and seen evidence of its impact. This NGO has few overheads so most of the money goes to the programmes for the children. KTD produces results that are verifiable. Scouting gives young people something to do and something to aim for" Meg

"I see that the program works to reduce teen pregnancy/maternal mortality, and helps children become responsible adults. What excites me even more is the program expansion. They have extended the original borders from Greater Tzaneen Sub-district to Limpopo province. They have a presence in 4 out of 5 Districts which is outstanding! Keep it up! " Robert 

"Low overheads and administration costs and outcomes can be supported by statistics, careful management and good book keeping. The programme encourages children to stay in and return to school to get an education which is the only way they will be able to progress through life and break the cycle of poverty and crime. Their matric results show that KTD196 is successful in this area." Sue

"The Director and staff are on minimal salaries and overheads are kept to a minimum. Every dollar/rand is carefully spent and accounted for. Donors can be assured that their donations go to the children and not to the overheads" Fred

"They make a positive impact on the lives of children who otherwise would become rudderless. They provide a code for living through the Scouting Movement which enables them to achieve goals that they could only dream of." Anonymous

"Your operations in KTD 196 have been going for many years and you have all managed to extend your reach but keep your standards in all the areas you work in....an amazing achievement and a huge gift to all you influence. it is humbling to see your work." Anonymous

"You're doing a fantastic work, giving under privileged children the hand up and skills they need to live a meaningful and productive life." Andrew

As you can see a variety of comments from people who are well informed about the work we do. Please if you have any questions or comments, let me know through the feedback channels available at the end of this report or email me on keepthedream196@gmail.com

None of this is possible without your support; your support is saving lives. Your support is creating a hope and a future for the children we serve. We have been working together for 12years. Some of you have been with us for the whole time we have been with GlobalGiving which is 7years. Thank you just doesn’t cut it because we are seeing the fruit of our labours every day. I wish I could transport you all here so you can see first-hand the impact we are achieving and hear first-hand from the children whose lives you have touched. 

You are more than welcome to come for a visit anytime. 

Blessings

Louise

Links:

• Why not visit our website?
• Or follow us on Facebook!