On the 23rd of January 2015, the IkamvaYouth Ivory Park branch entered into partnership with Charities Aid Foundation Southern Africa (CAFSA), which would see the Ivory Park branch and its host, Kaalfontein Secondary School benefit from development initiatives offered through CAFSA.
Among the things proposed to CAFSA through a partnership proposal drafted by IkamvaYouth were a mobile office and computer lab to be donated and stationed at Kaalfontein Secondary to benefit IkamvaYouth staff, volunteers, learners and the school, help with setting up of a library for the school and also to benefit Ikamvanites, painting and renovations on toilets and classrooms, paving and landscaping, office assets and stationary, volunteer mentors and tutors, learning aids, uniforms and sports equipment.
On the 3rd of March 2015 the Ivory Park branch and Kaalfontein secondary received a donation of stationary which was fairly shared between the two partners. Many thanks to CAFSA for the support given to IkamvaYouth in form of donation in stationary items listed below.
Item Quantity
Pens 29
Erasers 48 (12×4 cases)
Pencils 192 (28×8 cases)
Gule stick 9 (3×3 packs)
Oxford Dictionaries 2
Prestick 1 pack
Chalks 1 box
Exam pads 40
Mathematical Instruments 51 sets
Permanent Markers 12
A4 Ultra Office paper 1 pack (5×500 sheets)
Pencil Sharpener 1
In addition to the donations, CAFSA also invited Mentors from Shell JHB EVW Project who came on 3 March 2015 to mentor all grade 11 learners at Kaalfontein Secondary School. The Ivory Park branch coordinator (Clemence Msindo) was afforded a chance to liaise with Mrs Ntobeko Mogadime who is Shell SA’ Social Investment Manager for a possibility of having full time mentors from Shell SA for IkamvaYouth learners.
Many thanks to Elyjoy Ikunyua, Business Development Manager and Nandi Ngubeni, Client Support Officer at Charities Aid Foundation, for bringing this development initiative to IkamvaYouth and its partner, Kaalfontein Secondary School. “I am so honered to have hosted IkamvaYouth at my school, and now my school is benefiting through IkamvaYouth. I look forward to a long and fruitful relationship with IkamvaYouth and great thanks to CAF and Shell SA for making this happen”, says Mr K.G Maduma, the Principal of Kaalfontein Secondary School.
“It takes a village to raise a child… IkamvaYouth has been a second parent to my child, guiding and mentoring him to become disciplined and improve his marks. ”, said Mrs Khumalo, a parent for Mbuso Khumalo, a grade 11 learner who won a school bag for Best attendance Male learner award on the Ivory Park Open day prize giving event.
Parents poured in on the 7th of March 2015 to find out the truth behind the IkamvaYouth programmes their children are committed to at the Ivory Park branch. The meeting which was dominated by presentations, questions, testimonies and discussions between parents and IkamvaYouth staff provided a vision and reason for parents to actively participate through support to their children to be disciplined and focus as well as improving attendance to keep their spot at IkamvaYouth as there is much benefit through it. 85 parents attended the meeting marking the highest parents meeting attendance since 2014 when the branch had many challenges. Most of the attendants were parents of the newly enrolled learners as they were eager to learn more about IkamvaYouth.
There was high participation and energy within the parents making the meeting effective with some strategic planning to improve branch operations. The parents agreed to support IkamvaYouth by keeping in touch with IkamvaYouth staff reporting and inquiring about every challenges and successes they notice with our learners. Agreement was reached as well that the parents would report anything with regards to learner attendance which will lessen learner administration workload on IkamvaYouth staff.
Issues of indemnity we also discussed and parents were informed about the importance of signing indemnity forms ahead of special events and travel for leaners initiated by IkamvaYouth. Great support was promised with parents agreeing to monitor and enforce the learners to attend winter school fully and also encouraging grade 12 learners to attend the best of the time they get outside the SSIP programme. Parents encouraged IkamvaYouth staff to compile a list of all learners who attend IkamvaYouth programmes and have the list kept at schools or pasted on school staffrooms for educators to release the learners for IkamvaYouth programmes where school afternoon classes bind learners’ attendance.
Dr Welcome Kubaka from University of Johannesburg blessed the meeting with some words of motivation to parents testifying that he grew up in Tembisa Township from a very poor background and still used every opportunity he got to rise up to prominence. The next parents meeting was scheduled for the sixth of June 2015 with follow up matters being discussed regarding set goals and targets. Great thanks to parents for their support over IkamvaYouth programmes and response to IkamvaYouth meetings which propels us to greater achievements through their input to successfully operate.
Simplice Kamen-Payong, one of our longest serving volunteer tutors shared a touching testimony to parents of how he changed his profession to teaching. Kamen Completed his Masters in Business and Financial Management with UJ and is curently doing a Diploma in Teaching. According to Kameni, he got touched by the poor educational conditions in Ivory Park Township and with the love he received from Ikamvanites, he felt he could do better teaching kids to enlighten their futures.
IkamvaYouth Ivory Park Open Day
The 24th of January was the day the volunteers stuff members and parents of the IkamvaYouth Ivory Park branch have been waiting for. The Ivory Park branch has been collaborating open days with its sister branch Ebony Park, but this year it went solo. The programme for the day was well managed allowing the invited guests, parents, school principal and learners to participate and represent.
The activities of the event involved prize giving to top performers in the year 2014 with certificate and gift awards in different categories to include Platinum Attendance, Most academically improved learners, Best Tutors and 2014 matriculants for having successfully completed matric with IkamvaYouth. Application forms were issued to those who wanted to join IkamvaYouth.
The programme opened with a warm welcome by the branch coordinator (Mr Clemence Msindo), followed by our host and guest of honor Mr K Maduma, the principal for Kaalfontein Secondary School where the Ivory Park branch operates from. Mr Solani from the District Department of Education, Dr W. Kubeka from University of Johannesburg and Simpiwe from the Vine Branches blessed the event as motivational speakers to learners with words of encouragement with regards to academic improvements. Our IkamvaYouth branch committee parent Mma Mogano gave a touching speech to other parents about the good IkamvaYouth is doing in the community with reference to her child’s improvement in school work.
The Kaalfontein Secondary School choir, with their melodic voices couldn’t let the event go by without them being heard, they sang so well they left the crowd asking for more. Our class of 2014 who had risen above the odds and gave the Ivory Park branch 87.7% pass rate were awarded with certificates for their courage and bravery in their achievement. The top achiever Benny Matlou was awarded a wrist watch for his two distinctions in Mathematics and Physical Science. The branch awarded the top attender with a Blackberry phone for her commitment to IkamvaYouth throughout the year.
The day was full of joy and ABI made the day extra special by donating drinks and water to the learners, volunteers, parents and guests to quench their thirst. The day ended with a number of learners queuing to grab application forms to join IkamvaYouth.
Dear IkamvaYouth’s incredible tutors and mentors,
You are the key to IkamvaYouth’s success; you embody the spirit of IkamvaYouth and have proven that volunteerism is in fact sustainable and scalable.
Thank you for your inspiring dedication and for being a tremendous example to our learners, and the country at large.
Without you we would not be able to help as many learners as we do. We hugely appreciate the sacrifices you make when you give up your time to tutor, mentor or to help us in other ways.
We want to thank you with this message as our personal round of applause. The credit for our work rests with our dedicated volunteers:
It is you who inspire and enable our learners to achieve these amazing results. You guys are also our BIGGEST benefactors.
We hope to see you continue to lift as you rise and wish you all the very best in everything that you do.
Thank you!
The 2013 IkamvaYouth Annual Report highlights the remarkable achievements that we have made in 2013 by enabling disadvantaged youth to pull themselves and each other out of poverty with education.You can view the full annual report here but here are some of the highlights from 2013:
- 92% of our learners passed their matric (including supplementary exams); 62% achieved a bachelor pass (compared to 30.6% nationally) and 90% of our learners accessed a post school opportunity (tertiary, learnership or employment);
- The first survey of IkamvaYouth’s alumni was conducted. The findings were more encouraging than we could have hoped: IkamvaYouth learners are almost half as likely to drop out of tertiary studies, four times more likely to graduate and are three times less likely to not be in education or employment than the average South African young person.
- IkamvaYouth WON the Stars Award which exists to reward outstanding local organisations improving the lives of children in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. IkamvaYouth WON in the category of Education in Africa and the Middle East.
Thank you for taking the future into your hands, and to holding ours. Let’s keep reaching for the stars together.
©Neo Ntsoma/Majority World
If you are having trouble with the link please click on the below link:
ikamvayouth_annual_report_2013.pdf
The Ivory Park branch team is very excited and motivated after securing a new tutoring venue and office at Kaalfontein Secondary School. Venue instability has threatened the branch’s existence for very long, following a short notice eviction from the Ivory Park Youth Centre in December 2013. This was due to political controversies raised by the Greater Midrand Youth Council (GMYC) management committee leading to imposition of threats that could compromise the safety and security of IkamvaYouth staff, volunteers and learners.
The branch was then temporarily housed at the Ivory Park Community Stadium where space issues were still not entirely solved as learners were studying crowded in a very small hall that was also shared with Churches. The Ivory Park branch staff was also temporarily accommodated at the Ebony Park branch in a small and unsafe office. The staff would travel to the tutoring venue for every tutoring sessions. The conditions at the stadium did not allow learners to makeup days or come study at any times as tutoring was restricted to only 3 days a week as per the agreed MOU. The venue also made it difficult for staff to invite or meet with stakeholders as well as to track, meet and help the grade 12 learners with applications. Learners could not benefit from resources like photocopying, internet and full support from staff due to these conditions.
Moving to Kaalfontein Secondary and securing enough space for tutoring and office has opened up unlimited opportunities that include opening up of a computer lab that will benefit Ikamvanites and the school from 2015. Communicating and meeting stakeholders would be more convenient, all learners will benefit from the programme equally, being able to access the required support to ensure improved pass marks and success at matric level, and recruiting and retaining volunteers would be manageable with a stable venue.
I would like to acknowledge the interventions made by our stakeholders, to mention Kaalfontein School Principal and the SGB, TziChi as well as the IkamvaYouth team for playing a significant role in making this venue possible despite all challenges faced.
Lloyd Lungu