Aleph Surf's End of the Year Party

 We had a lot of fun and laughter at the Aleph Surf's end of the year party. Three kids got certificates for improving in their academic performances. We celebrated with cake, ice cream and cool drinks after a few games were played. It was a nice day.

Click here to see the pictures of the day.

Thank You!

As the end of another year draws near, I have joy when I look back over the year. I am grateful to every tutor that gave of their time and themselves. I am joyful for every child that came to class and applied themselves to learn reading, maths or any other necessary skill. I am thankful to every parent or caregiver that encouraged the children to come to class. I also want to give a big thank you to institutions that provided their facilities and had the heart of compassion to make space in their programmes, for tutoring to happen.

I (and every tutor) saw children grow in their academic abilities this year and with that academic growth also came emotional growth – a confidence that they can do something and that someone believes in them. SOPHAKAMA!

Some of the children comes from homes where they do get the support they need, but most of the children do not. It is heartwarming therefore to see that God has opened other spaces for these children where they can get the support they need. To all these spaces, with faithful, selfless people, I say thank you. I salute you!

Yet, to think that every needy child has such a space, is to live in a make believe world. That is why the Sophakama Tutor Programme would like to encourage the readers of this blog to consider if it would not maybe be possible for them to create such a space. Do you have space that you can make available for tutoring? Do you have an hour twice a week available to tutor? Do you know how to teach reading or maths? (We can teach you how if you are willing to learn.) Start your own tutor programme or join an already existing programme! It is truly a very rewarding programme to be part of.

Good news!

After 4 years of consistent tutoring by a few tutors one boy this week was accepted to Westview High school. SOPHAKAMA!

Evelyn Lotz

First month!

One month has passed since I started working full time with Sophakama.  It has been an emotional and spiritual rollercoaster, but not the crazy type, the fun type.  Leaving full time employment and taking up full time "unemployment" has really challenged me spiritually because now I am really learning what it is to live everyday by the grace of God. 

The past month I have started to take 13 Gr 1 kids from Diaz Primary and 3 Gr1 kids at the ACVV.  They all struggle with reading and many of them are being taught in what is not their mother tongue.  A few of them have never built a puzzle and was delighted when I introduced it to them.  I can already begin to see some progress in some of them and it really warms my heart.  I feel so strongly about getting a child's educational foundation right, because as with building a house, if the foundation is not laid right the house will eventually fall apart. 

I also really wanted to get started again at Mina Moo playschool in Hellenvale, because there are children there that will be of school going age next year.  This has however not worked out yet.  There is a possibility of getting involved with a group of young mothers in teaching them some basic and inexpensive games for their toddlers which will prepare them a little better for school.  I am excited about that, because those mothers can really make a difference. 

Amore

Crossing paths again.

Last year, when I moved to Jeffreys Bay, a friend and partner in the work of Sophakama, Anna Marie Franken, brought Julia to me as my very first visitor.  Ann thought that we could maybe work together at Ithemba and actually we did, but Julia was involved at the Pre-school in the mornings and I at the Aftercare, so we rarely saw each other at Ithemba. We did visit on occasion and went for lunch the other day. In our conversation it came out that Julia still had capacity to do something in the afternoons and so, now she has joined me in Humansdorp at the Child Welfare group. She works with kids in the area of Maths.

Ryan and I met Cindy 18 months ago and liked her immediately. I shared with her about my work and she attended training the beginning of last year. Unfortunately, she could not find a place to serve that suited her schedule. We loosely kept in touch, but then the very day I trained the KwaNoxolo tutors, I got a Whats App from Cindy saying that she is also part of that group. I was so happy to hear that, because I know she has a lot to give. The work in KwaNoxolo is going well. They are waiting for funding in order to train even more tutors.

In 2011 when I returned to SA at church, Dawi Strauss introduced me to his wife, Amore.  Then, when I became involved at the Acvv Poplar Ave, Amore was also involved there as a volunteer, while she was studying for her teachers qualification. Being in her final year of teaching the following year, she could not continue at the Acvv and we therefore did not see each other that much any more. Then last month, Irma Loots re-connected us. We had a chat on one of my visits to PE, where we shared our hearts concerning education. The result of that and other talks is that Amore is finishing her work at the school where she has been teaching the last year and a half and is joining Sophakama full-time in Port Elizabeth in July. I am really excited about all the possibilities her joining brings.

I am grateful that these three ladies crossed my path again this past month.  I am reminded of the words of a Christian song: "Thank you, for giving to the Lord. I am a life that was changed." How many children's lives are these three ladies and all the other tutors going to touch and change for the better?

Joy!

Last week, I started back at Ithemba and Aleph Surf and it was such a joy to see the kids again after the short holiday.  Their holiday was spent mostly by playing with friends. One boy mentioned having pizza as one of the fun things he did.

In PE after holding my breath for months, the Gelvandale group started again in March. They have two new tutors there, Marie and Susan. Together with Deamne, they make a very powerful team.

At Poplar Ave, Lily and Erika were joined by Merle.

Diaz, still have Yolandi and Leonore helping with kids there.

There are exciting new developments in PE. Last month, I trained 8 tutors for a school in New Brighton and this past week I trained another three more tutors for a school in KwaNoxolo.

I am so excited by the growth we see.