Bridging the Gap

During times of war and political upheaval it is often children that suffer the most. For those that have managed to make it as far as Cape Town they face a mountain of challenges. Many that have come from war torn East Congo have lost not only homes, family members and identity but they have lost months sometimes years of  schooling. If they are able to get a place in a school (often very difficult in the middle of the year) they have to learn to speak English and try to fit in to a culture that is unwelcoming of people that are different to them. It is estimated that at present there are hundreds of refugee children in Cape Town not attending school for a number of reasons, poverty being one of them. There is often only money for rent and a little food –nothing for uniforms, stationery and school fees so these little girls and boys stay at home while those around them enjoy what every child has the right to  - a stimulating day of learning and playing and making friends. AMP has limited resources but has decided to make a difference in some of these little lives. In June we converted one of our rooms into a “bridging school” and started with 5 little children from East Congo and a wonderful unemployed Congolese teacher. We have now grown to 11 children and have 2 volunteer teachers. The younger ones are going to be taught the basics of English as well as how to read and write. The older ones will learn more complex work.

Our goal is to assist the families to get their children into mainstream schools as soon as they are able to. We will help these children and their families cover uniform and stationery costs, and help them access the right avenues to assist in fee reductions or waivers.

The joy in their little faces as they sit and learn and interact is so wonderful to see. We would love to help as many children as we are able to and invite all our AMP supporters to partner with us in this very worthwhile project. We have found a few capable unemployed Zimbabwean and Congolese Teachers who have volunteered to help us and we have offered them a stipend to help them feed their own families. Let us know if you would like to support this effort in any way.

(Retired teachers and those with a heart for children are also welcome to help!!!) Contact Gahlia for more information at  gahlia.amp@gmail.com