Physical Health South Africa Project #10010

Lifeskills for 2,587 Children in South Africa

by Keep The Dream196

Lifeskills for 2,587 Children in South Africa

Project Report | Mar 28, 2019
The Nitty Gritty of what your donation achieves!

By Louise Batty | Managing Director

Xirkandziwa

Dear Friends and Supporters!

Welcome to all our new friends. We are averaging approximately 40 new donors on a monthly basis which is wonderful, so please feel welcome and free to ask any questions or leave any messages and I will respond to you either privately or in this update.

Wow thank you so much for your support it is so wonderful to have people come on board as believers in the work we do and the impact we make. For those who are new, last week (you can access this update on our Global Giving page) I spoke about the power of your donation. To breakdown it down for your R2.19 RSA or $0.18c USD or $0.22c AUD supports one child per day in our program.

What does the child get for that cost?

Each child attends the program with an adult every week for a properly structured learning by doing program.
The remaining days of the week the children are doing community service activities such as: cleaning their communities; filling in potholes on the roads; adopting a granny/grandpa to clean their homes; fetch firewood for cooking or water for washing or bathing. Or having homework support, playing games, going for hikes, being generally occupied.
Because the children operate in small groups they are able to develop peer support and create their own positive gangs, which include their own identities as a small group with the leaders of the small group able to apply group dynamic skills that create a sense of family.
They learn leadership skills such as brainstorming, negotiation, decision making through consensus, minute taking and agenda creation. Creating action plans for activities and then evaluating those activities as both small and large groups.
They learn socialising skills from the games we play with the children which are always linked to the training they have received
They learn different skills ie first aid, permaculture (small sustainable gardening skills), study skills, compass and mapping, HIV Peer Education, safety and emergency scene management, communication skills to name just a few
The children learn to live by a code of conduct which is values and moral based i.e. you do not lie. This is reinforced through the games we play for example when we run relay and everyone claims they were first, we ask them about the code and that lying is not what we do, then we ask again and we always get the truth.
The children participate in new experiences ie going hiking (for fun), experiencing the bush and learning about the environment; camping; we also every second year participate in the government Children's parliament; often our older children are exposed to travelling to different geographical areas to support other newer scouts.
Their world view enlarges with each new experience
All the adults working with the children are trained and vetted with the National sexual offense register

This is just a few things our kids receive and the reason why our impact has been so monumental. Here are a few examples of change directely linked to our program and services:

Teenage pregnancy reduced from 13% to 0.08% in our program sustained for 16yrs;
Teenage crime reduced from 70% to 1 child in 12,000 in 16yrs;
Teenage suicide rate reduced from 12.7% nationally to 0 in our program;
We have a 89% Matriculation pass rate, government has 74%.

If you would like any further information or receive a copy of our annual report please just let me know I would more than happy to forward to you.

Thank you for making a different in the life of many children.

Gratefully yours

Louise and the Dream Team

My name is Xirkandziwa, I am 13yrs old from Shiluvane Village.

Before joining KTD196s children's project I was always doing wrong things that I should do. I used to lie, steal and get into fights with other people. I regularly used to beat other people and vandalize other people’s property. Behaving bad was my everyday life. I got along with wrong people who even made join their gang of doing things. My family has always tried to make a better person but with friends around I wasn’t a better person.

Since being in the program for 3years I am a good and respectable child to my family and the community. This program has changed me to be a good child. It has helped me with things and taught me many good things. Thanks to the Lord from bringing such people in the world now I am a better person in the present and will be in the future.

In the future I would like to be person who considers other people my brother and sister. A person who lives a good life without fighting with anyone and who loves and respects others.

Team work is a key to developing the children

Team working in unity

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Mar 13, 2019
What YOUR donation achieves!

By Louise Batty | Managing Director

Nosiswe

Welcome to all our new supporters to the Keep The Dream196 Community of Supporters!

This is as much my community as it is yours! This is where you get to ask questions, find out details that perhaps are not in the project information. This is where you and I build trust and relationship whereby you can rest assured in the work we are doing, the impact we are achieving the quality and cost effectiveness of the services we are providing.

Having said that, you can leave a message for me simply by rating and completing the reports you receive. I will try to be as responsive as possible. Or, you can email me on keepthedream196@gmail.com I hope to hear from you soon!

I want to thank you all for your support of Keep The Dream196 over the 6yrs (and longer for some) that we have been connected to GlobalGiving. In that time, together, we reached over 15,000 orphaned and vulnerable children in dire need of various forms of help. Help, that because of your support, we have been able to give.

Our Children are not just finding their dreams but achieving them! Many of our children go on to University or College and are successful graduates because of the foundations we are able to lay in their lives. Dreams such as becoming a doctor, lawyer, mechanic, nurse, physio, child psychologist, plumber or teacher to name a few post graduates we have. Major achievements in the light of their peers who often fall pregnant before they are 18yrs of age (13%); or involved in teenage crime (70%); suicide (12.7%) to name a few activities that children outside of the project succumb to in the villages.

We have been able to reduce the teenage pregnancy rate to 0.07% or 12girls in 16yrs with over 8,000 girls in the program. That is astonishing. That is what we have achieved. We have helped these girls choose their dreams over immediate pleasure and to work hard to achieve their life’s goals. It is so exciting.

To breakdown for your R2.19 RSA or $0.18c USD or $0.22c AUD supports one child per day in our program.

R67 per month $4.40 or $6.70 AUD. This is phenomenal I am sure you agree

We are able to achieve this by utilizing our funds efficiently and effectively because of the committed staff providing a smart, well put together professional program which brings the desired behaviour change to enable these once impoverished, hopeless, failing students to become what they desire, not what their peers and friends are doing but what will ensure their success. All of this because of you! All of this because of your support!. It’s that simple.

Thank you just does not convey the look on these kids faces of joy at the weekly meetings we have with them. I wish you could see them for yourselves.

With warmest thanks

Louise

My name is Nosiswe and I am 24yrs of age. I was raised by my grandparents while my mother was in Gauteng for work. A lot could have gone wrong. I could have done a lot of partying, could have been disrespectful towards my elders, neglect my school work and consequently ruining my future.

I had so much freedom to do whatever I wanted to do. I mean my grandparents were old, they didn't have the energy to watch my every move but thankfully Keep The Dream196 introduced the scouts program to help me be a better person and make the best choices.

As a scout, there were laws that I had to live by, scout laws, and I just couldn't afford to misrepresent scouts. Laws such as a scout obey orders; a scout honour is to be trusted impacted my life greatly. I did everything and followed every instruction given to me by my elders because I knew that they wouldn't mislead me or lead me astray in any way.

By being obedient to them I was upholding a scout law. My grandparents and everyone else trusted me and I did my best to ensure that I didn't lose their trust because that was very important to me as the scout law #1 stated that a scout’s honour is to be trusted. In all honesty it was more about scouts than about me. It actually felt like I was doing it for them, like it was never really about me but I was wrong.

Keep The Dream shaped my future because through their scouts program. I was able to pass my matric and pursue the career of my dreams. I was able to make informed decisions about my life. The camps I attended taught me to be independent that has also helped me a lot because when I got to university, being away from home, can be really tough sometimes.

Today I'm a Bachelor of Laws graduate because of Keep The Dream196. A prosecutor in the making. It is true that you reap what you sow, some of my peers found the scouts program boring but if they knew the benefits I'm certain they would have joined too. I know they too had dream careers which could have been turned into a reality if they worked on them. Getting the right advice from the right people can be very helpful because if you have sufficient and accurate information you're able to make informed choices.

Some of them never finished high school education, some did but obtained lower grades which resulted in them not pursuing the careers they have always wanted to pursue and some just settled for so much less. I consider myself lucky and I'm grateful to have been a beneficiary of Keep The Dream196.

Thank you to everyone who supported us!

Nosiswe

Sevvy and Ronel two of our young adut leaders

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Feb 21, 2019
Impacting Limpopo Province - Through your support!

By Louise Batty | Managing Director

Firstly, I want to welcome our new supporters to the KTD196 Community and also to thank EVERYONE for your continued support and excitement over our program.

Sitting here at the computer I sometimes feel in a bubble because I do not know what is happening with you? I don’t know if you are enjoying the feedback or the information? If you are feeling inspired and happy to know that there are people out here making a difference in others’ lives even if you struggle to? I don’t receive a lot of feedback however predominantly it is very positive what I do receive, so if you would like to drop me a line or send a quick message I will certainly respond.

One of the new developments of 2018 is that some Primary Schools and Churches are now inviting us to run our program from their venues. Previously when we had approach schools they were not interested but now because we have tackled some of the worst schools I the District, and there have been major behaviour change amongst the children, the teachers now want to know our secrets.

For those who enjoy graphs, I have added a couple of graphs to show our numerical history since we started this project in 2003. We have constantly had ebbs and flows which is the nature of development work. We also have extended our original borders from Greater Tzaneen Subdistrict to Limpopo province. We have a presence in 4 out of 5 Districts which is exciting.

As we look forward to 2019, we are excited for program expansion and great program success. We are working diligently to incorporate more evaluation tools to continue to remain on track with our goals and objectives. I do not want to bore you with all of the numbers, but if you any information and clarity just ask, you are invited to call or email me with any questions that you might have. I would love to speak with you and explain more of our program in details. As always, if you are even in the area, you are invited to come by for a tour and to meet our staff.

Below I have added some comments from some of our visitors and partners just like yourself also a testimonial from one of our UK volunteers who came to stay. Also I have added a video so you can see some of the activities our volunteers are engaged with. Games teach so many soft skills to children, they are a wonderful medium for learning and of course having fun.

Have a wonderful day

Louise

"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 KTD is successful in this area."

"Low overheads and administration costs and outcomes can be supported by statistics, careful management and good book keeping"

My name is Derryck and I come from London in the United Kingdowm,

During my time in Limpopo I got the chance to learn and work alongside

Keep The Dream196 are based within the Limpopo area and work with vulnerable children and orphans through a cubs and scouts movement.

KTD196 is changing children’s lives through different programs that are used to empower them mentally, physically, emotionally, intellectually and spiritually.

Due to not having enough community leisure facilities, children can become idle and disorderly and can get involved in various unruly activities which can lead to issues such as teen pregnancy and drug abuse. KTD196 cubs and scouts programs help keep the kids from going astray but not only do they empower the kids, KTD196 also involve the parents in every way possible in order to avoid challenging conflicts within the household.

I was mostly touched by the leaders recognition event which was an event organised as a Christmas party by myself and my team during our time in Limpopo. The aim of this event was to teach the children about the importance of gratitude but also to give them a chance to showcase what they have learnt throughout the year and also become creative in their own way.

We gave the children some useful things such as toothbrushes, toothpastes, sanitary pads for the girls, deodorants and more all wrapped in a form of 'Christmas gifts' and all the children were extremely happy to receive these. They all eagerly participated in the event and most of them said they had never had a Christmas party or seen a 'father Christmas'.

They were grateful for the gifts and the look on their faces as they received these really touched my heart, one child named Kgosi who lived across from my host mum mam Catherine hugged me and said "Please you must come back, I feel so happy nobody has ever done this for us...." I realised that even if I touch ONE person's life on a journey it's enough.

Be assured that every donation made to KTD196 is changing a child's life.

A group of Scouts and Cubs that exists due to you!

Derryck

Derryck and his team at their Christmas party

Links:

Attachments:

Graphs displaying numbers of Children since 2003 (DOCX)

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