Educate and Empower Children in South Africa

Dear Friends,

Thank you again for your generous support. It is because of you that we are able to provide services to those in disadvantaged positions. As time passes, you continue to support Afrika Tikkun and we are grateful. If you have any questions about Afrika Tikkun or feedback for our Global Giving page, please do not hesitate to contact us. We welcome all inquiries and suggestions!

Special Thank You to GlobalGiving

We would also like to take this opportunity to thank Global Giving for their help and support. Among the great benefits of Global Giving is that they are not only a platform for fundraising for our cause, but they are also a learning tool. Through the Global Giving Online Fundraising Academy, we are improving different aspects of our online presence such as communicating with you.

Our Children

Many of our children are continuing to thrive through our programs. Our children not only learn necessary life skills such as reading and using computers, but they also learn that they are capable of achieving much more in life. The realization of their potential provides them with the drive to overcome the obstacles facing them. Our goal is to ensure that every child has a brighter and more sustainable future from “cradle to career.”

There are a number of different factors that can affect a child’s education. Please watch our youtube video where we share the rebuilding of a shack for a family in need.

Save the Dates

We would also like to take this opportunity to share two special upcoming Bonus Day events.

On June 25^th we will be participating in the Bonus Day event which includes a 100% match on individual donations from $10 up to $1,000.

July 16^th will be the very next Bonus Day Challenge as part of the GlobalGiving Online Fundraising academy with a 40% match on donations.

More information to come!

Links:

• Building Hope

The following is a postcard from Chi Nguyen, GlobalGiving's In-the-Field Representative in South Africa, about her recent visit to Afrika Tikkun. 

Today, I was able to visit Afrika Tikkun's two project sites in Cape Town, located in the townships of Mfuleni and Delft. Sweet Laura Markovitz, Afrika Tikkun's Development Executive, showed me around the stunning schools they have been able to build and we were able to see the beautiful, shining faces of what had to be over 100 children. These children's faces and bodies were not gaunt, but full, bright, and smiling because they are provided 4 meal times a day thanks to Afrika Tikkun and their generous donors. For many, this is all the food they receive in a day. Because their bellies are full, they are able to focus and learn in class.

But Afrika Tikkun's commitment doesn't stop there. They have adopted a holistic approach to helping the communities that they serve. They do home visits and family support services, so that the children's minds can focus in class rather than on the problems going on at home. Afrika Tikkun as a whole has a huge heart - there is little they wouldn't do for these children.

In addition to primary care and education, they also run a Youth Development Program, where 350-400 youth from the surrounding community can come for a place to play sports, theater, or do arts & crafts. They also provide a full, hot meal to each and every one of these children; similar to the younger ones, this may be the only place these youth receive a meal every day as well.

Afrika Tikkun also does an amazing job of bringing the rest of the community in - 80-90% of their employees are members from the community, and all members of the community are welcome to come to the center at any time for free access to the computer and WiFi. In addition, they hold computer literacy classes and workshops on how to acquire jobs. They store CVs so that they can send them out for any member who would like to apply to a job. Their vegetable and fruit gardens that provide the necessary ingredients for the children are farmed and run by community members.

We concluded my visit with two home visits, where we were able to meet with a few of the beneficiaries of Afrika Tikkun's efforts. A few of these community members, HIV & TB positive, receive full body washes, food parcels to take with their medicine, and a bit of help around the house, among other things. One beneficiary commented, with a smile, that her personal Afrika Tikkun healthcare worker would often come even on the weekends to check on her. Afrika Tikkun really does care.