By Louise Batty | Managing Director
Welcome to our community, I want to thank everyone for choosing KTD196 to be the recipient of your support. I trust you will be inspired by the children we serve, what they have overcome and how well they are moving on with their dreams…all because of people like you caring in a very real way. On behalf of every child at KTD196, THANK YOU!
Your support and encouragement helps me and my team know that we are not alone in caring for humanity and young people. We are especially grateful to those of you who are supporting us on a monthly basis. Monthly support enables us to plan effectively and budget appropriately for the life transforming work we do. There are many parts to this work that includes buidling trust, combatting harmful traditions that lead many of these children into danger (and in many cases death), teaching and inspiring in circumstances that for others would seem too extreme to overcome. These children are extordinary and KTD196 still have more kids to reach.
Each of you are significant in this work. These kids can dream and hope…because of you. We invite you to become a monthly donor. It is truly one of the best ways to partner with us in this work and it is easy to do. Please go to our Global Giving page, learn more about how it works, and when you load a payment please choose the monthly option.
One thing I have recently been challenged by, is that someone in our community asked a very astute question. “Why should I give to KTD196, the kids all look happy and are smiling?” This comment made me think, I have been showing the impact of KTD196 without the context of the children in which we serve.
Recently, I attended a workshop where the latest statistics revealed that only 30% of children live with both biological parents. 70% live with one parent or in orphan headed households. This combined with high unemployment mean that 98% of the children we serve survive on Child Support Grants of R420 per month or $30US per month.
The proportion of South Africans living in poverty and/or extreme poverty is 31.6million or 66.6% are living below the poverty line. The most vulnerable are children, females, black people living in rural areas such as Limpopo and Eastern Cape.
In answer to this problem, you in conjunction with KTD196 have trained in excess of 425 Adults in Permaculture practice. Over 425 Households have benefitted from the Food 4 Life project. KTD196 has also established or supported in excess 26 large community gardens with Permaculture training and also small business skills such as cash handling skills, minute taking, agenda setting, how to hold a meeting, conflict negotiation, financial policy creation to name a few.
Together we have also assisted in the creation of 16 large Community Based Garden projects which have become established and are earning the participants an income where previously this was not occurring. The produce from these gardens go to local canning companies or to local supermarkets or Johannesburg Central Markets.
In 16yrs KTD196 with the support of our community members such as you, together we have trained in excess of 3,328 children in Food 4 Life Permaculture training. This means in excess of 3,300 households have been able to feed themselves with self-sustaining Permaculture practices. The number is much higher than this as individual children have participated outside of formal Food 4 Life projects we have hosted to address Food Security issues. This project runs throughout the year however the children decide when they will participate in the process.
This is a small portion of the work we have achieved together. Malnutrition is still a major issue in this country, which impacts learning outcomes for children generally. If the children eat a balanced diet, they will be able to learn effectively. If they learn effectively, they will achieve at school, access further education and break the poverty cycle they and their families are destined to be trapped in without your help.
Below is a story about Neo and the impact we have had on his life. Neo attributes KTD196 and or Scouts program to his not only coping with the pain of rejection by his father but also the subsequent poverty Neo and his family were plunged into by his father refusing to support his family.
My name is Neo, I come from Mogapeng Village and I am now 18yrs of age and I love Scouts more than the word Scouts.
I will never depart from Scouts. I have been in scouts since 2014, 6yrs. I have started groups of scouts at my school and at my village because I love it so much. Without Scouts I am nothing. I’m in grade 12 now, I am a young man now and I am responsible because of Scouts.
I have enjoyed my childhood because of Keep The Dream196, they brought Scouts to my village and I wish everyone can see what I see in Scouts, that is my dream. I want the next generation to gain what I have gained from Scouts.
Now I know so much about life, overcoming adversity, I know how to take care of the environment, how to help my community, to show love and respect to all people.
Now I know it takes hard work education and dedication and commitment to achieve something in life. That is something I have learnt from Scouts.
People call me a fool because of Scouts, I was not interested in dating and having girlfriends and now they are regretting their decisions. They are re-sitting grade 9 and 10 and I am in grade 12. Some have babies and they wish time could go back and join scouts like I did. I look at people who I was friends with and they are now drunks and or drug addicts wasting their lives. I have a destiny I have a purpose, I have a dream. I want to either be a teacher or an aircraft pilot.
With the income that I have I will do my best to help support Keep the Dream196 so that more children can have a smile on their face and realize their dreams.
Keep The Dream196 and Scouts are a beacon light, someone to always look up to. Without them I don’t know where I would be. Now everyone is following in my footsteps, I am a role model. Everyone wants to join Scouts.
I don’t know how to thank KTD196, they have saved my life. Before I joined Scouts I was not respecting my family, bunking school, doing things that my friends were doing like going out at night, not doing my homework, being disrespectful at school but I am a new man. I am proud of who I am, so are my family. I just want to cry, KTD196 means so much to me. I will die a scout.
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