Lifeskills for 8 children in South Africa - Pilot

Location: Limpopo, South Africa

Focus: Infrastructure Crisis & Learner Resilience

The Harsh Reality: A System Under Siege

In Limpopo, the "Right to Education" is being tested by a crumbling foundation. Of the 3,800 schools under the provincial department, over 1,800 are currently flagged for urgent intervention. We are witnessing a systemic infrastructure failure that has been 30 years in the making.

Hazardous Classrooms: Ceilings are collapsing during active lessons. Overcrowding has reached a breaking point, with some classes squeezing 100+ pupils into rooms designed for 40.

Learning in the Elements: To avoid the danger of falling debris, many children have been moved to verandas or under trees—hardly a conducive environment for focused study.

Sanitary Crisis: Sanitation is not just inadequate; it is dangerous. With the recent rains, many latrines are on the verge of total collapse. Children lack the privacy of doors and, more importantly, the guarantee of safety. Water provision is lacking, so personal hygeine is complicated.

"It is common to see three pupils sharing a desk meant for two, in a room with shattered windows and no functioning blackboard. This is the 'normal' our children are expected to excel in."

It is against this backdrop of chronic staffing shortages and "barely usable" facilities that the strength of the KTD196 program truly shines.

While the provincial infrastructure has deteriorated, our learners' spirits have not. We are incredibly proud to report that KTD196 matriculants achieved a 100% pass rate in 2025. This success proves that while we cannot wait for the government to fix every brick and mortar, we can equip our children with the internal resilience, discipline, and leadership skills to overcome their environment.

Our Urgent Need

The gap between the learners' potential and their environment is widening. As the government struggles to address the priority list for demolition and rebuilding, KTD196 remains on the ground, providing the emotional and academic scaffolding these students need to survive—and thrive—in humane circumstances.

Your support directly funds:

- Life Skills & Resilience Training: Giving kids the mental fortitude to study in overcrowded, deteriorating spaces.

- Advocacy: Ensuring the voices of these flagged schools are heard by the department through our CLA’s and eventually our Federation level of Self Help Groups.

- Support Networks: Filling the gap left by chronic staffing shortages through peer-led scouting and mentorship.

The situation is dire, but the results are undeniable. Our children deserve better than a crumbling ceiling, but until the infrastructure catches up to their potential, we will continue to build the leaders who will one day fix the system.

You enable this to happen, join us on a monthly basis and be a part of making a huge difference in the lives of the children we serve now and for the future. We are doing the job, the evidence is clear. Your support makes the difference.

Blessings 

Louise

Links:

• Articles sharing the state of Government Schools
• Sowetan article on the state of Limpopo Schools
• Why not visit our website you are welcome to leave a message!

Well, what a peculiar week we had last week. I mean phew, I’m glad that is over.

It all started with meeting after meeting as I navigated the week. Then a sponsor donated a box full of seeds to assist those who have lost their crops due to the floods. Which is wonderful however, we are still waiting for another donor to agree to the flood relief monies so we can provide food parcels, blankets and school uniforms to families that are still struggling and in the process assist with seed distribution and training for those families who don’t normally plant.

Then we had an institutional donor come and do a once in a 10yr visit where they crawled into every orifice. WOW, 3 of them came to interrogate every aspect of KTD196. They went through our organizational documents, policies and procedures, finance systems, they also performed a mini audit, my poor bookkeeper is still 4days later sending documents for verification purposes. Then I took one of their team out to the field to verify and confirm the work we are doing. He met with the kids and the parents to ensure we are actually implementing what we say we are implementing.

The good news is, you as a supporter of KTD196 can rest assured that we are being held accountable and responsible for every aspect of the work we do. Eventually we will receive a report with recommendations for improvement, so that you know we are performing at optimal level according to the nation’s requirements but also to this donors specifications.

Immediately after that, off to camp for 3days of training. We had 10 new adults from around the province (Acornhoek, Groblersdal, Seshego and Greater Tzaneen) come to be introduced to our children’s program and take that knowledge back to their villages and implement the training, so our footprint is growing. Sadly, one night we were rained out, the fierceness of the storm meant that people had to sleep in the hall and the kitchen area, which was roofed, however the rooves leaked so everyone was very wet.

The next day, people still smiled and enjoyed the day despite the chaos of the night before.

Straight after camp, another meeting, this time with Government, Health & Welfare SETA came to interrogate and investigate the work we do in order to register us to become service providers. They were elated with the work we do, in fact they commented there was no one else in the province doing this sort of work with the impact we are having. Our application will be successful, in this way, we will be able to implement our training through H&WSETA and be paid for it, another income stream for KTD196 which makes us more sustainable long term.

I have spoken in the past about the precarious position most charitable organisations are in, fundraising is very difficult, even the experts are finding it difficult especially after Mr Trumps withdrawal of funding globally. We are doing our best to become less donor dependent.

I hope you found the snap shot of my week interesting, there is never a dull moment that’s for sure.

I am so grateful to have you walking this path with us. It’s remarkable to think that some of you have been part of our community for 13 years—right from our beginning on GlobalGiving. Please know how much we treasure your partnership; your belief in our mission is what turns our goals into real-world results.

Blessings

Louise

Links:

• Why not visit our website you are welcome to leave a message!
• Facebook is a great way to keep up to date with what we are upto