George is situated on the Garden Route, approximately 500kms east of Cape Town. It is a well-known tourist destination and attracts visitors from all over the world.
The majority of communities in George, however, live in conditions of extreme poverty. The unemployment rate in some areas is as high as 65% and many families rely on government grants to meet their basic needs.
PASCaP's work in George commenced in June 2001 with an After School Practitioner Development Learning Programme being offered to women who are beneficiaries of the Government's Poverty Relief Programme. Over 60 unemployed women were enrolled on this programme. The women were drawn from the following communities in George: Pacaltsdorp, Conville, Thembalethu, Hoekville, Borches, and Lawaaikamp.
The second phase of the programme, Field Mentorship, followed the After School Development Practitioner Learning Programme. Thirty unemployed women and men registered for this programme. Mentorship is a 6-month programme which entails onsite training and implementation support. At the end of the mentorship process, 10 projects was established in the George region:
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7 projects in Thembalethu, |
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1 project in Lawaaikamp, |
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1 project in Conville and |
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1 project in Hoekville. |
These projects were managed by capable project facilitators and staff who enjoyed the support and assistance of their respective communities.
Development milestones
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The 6-month learning programme achieved a 95% pass rate. |
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One of the programme graduates, Ms Thembeka Zukelwa, found employment at Tyholora Primary School in Thembalethu. |
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The 6-months field mentorship programme achieved a 70% achievement rate. |
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25% of participants gained full-time employment, and 5% are working in the ECD sector. |
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10 after school projects were established following the training received and were launched in January 2002. |
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All the after school projects that were initiated are community-based, focusing on providing developmental programmes for children and youth such as: educational development, lifeskills, recreation, human rights workshops and much more! |
| The new after school projects were locally organised under the George After School Care Forum to ensure that project managers and staff receive ongoing training and support. |
PASCaP Development Partners
Partnerships were formed with the following schools in George:
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Conville Primary, |
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Tyholora Primary, |
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Thembalethu Primary and |
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Touwsranten Primary School |
The programme also received support from Government and community based organisations in George:
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The George District Office of The Department of Social Services, in particular, Mr Joseph Bruintjies, Mrs Adri Petersen and Office head Mrs D. Wewers. |
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The Thembalethu Community Safety Centre, represented by the community liaison officer, Inspector Vernon Jantjies. |
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The George Multi-purpose Centre, managed by Mr Bam. |
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The managing director of MOEGOSO, Mr Audi Hendricks who also facilitated 2 workshops on the learning programme. |
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The managing director and HIV/AIDS counsellor of OPTIONS, Mrs Laurie, who facilitated a 2 day workshop on the field mentorship programme. |
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The matron in charge at the Thembalethu Day Hospital, Mrs Mvindi, who facilitated a T.B workshop during mentorship. |
Current status of the region
Owing to organisational resource constraints, work in George was suspended for nearly 2 years. When work resumed, the 10 after school projects were reduced to 3 owing to not being registered as Places of Care. This resulted in after school projects being unable to apply for a State subsidy or to attract private donor funding. Even though attempts were made to follow up on their Places of Care registration applications, the long process took its toll on the facilitators who, owing to being unemployed, were under grave financial pressure. Many therefore had to seek alternative employment.
Work in 2005 focused on building the remaining 3 after school projects. This proved to be successful as projects then re-submitted their Places of Care registration applications, gained NPO status and started operating their own bank accounts. They also participated in Masikhule Sikhuselane which provided support in terms of facilitator fees, materials, equipment and children's snacks. The Neighbourhood Safety Centres Development Project assisted the George region with additional equipment and venue upgrading.
Owing to the need to establish formal after school projects in the high poverty profile communities of George, the region has been prioritised by PASCaP for development in 2006. With the support of the Department of Social Development, PASCaP has initiated the After School Care Centre Support project aimed at building the capacity of after school centres to meet Places of Care registration requirements. Also, in support of our efforts, the Ackerman Family Foundation has adopted one of the centres in George which will significantly boost this after school centre's development and sustainability level.
