The Incredible Work of Education without Borders
Have you heard of Education Without Borders? It’s a very special charitable organization established right here in Canada with a mandate to support the broadening of educational opportunities in disadvantaged regions across the world. They believe that it’s education and skills-building that opens doors to allow individuals to exert greater choice and control over their lives. While their mandate is global, right now, their primary focus is on Fezeka Secondary School in the township of Gugulethu near Cape Town, South Africa.Education without Borders is deeply involved with this community. EwB has decided to focus on this one area to really dig deeply into the issues that face the community, address root problems and invest in infrastructure. They are in the middle of a 5-year plan to improve academic outcomes in this heavily populated and very poor region. Some of the issues addressing this shanty town include:
- High rates of violence and crime as the region wrestles with the aftereffects of Apartheid. The drop-out rate in high school is very high and there exist serious infrastructure problems including a crumbling school, overcrowded classrooms and dedicated teachers who lack proper resources and supports.
- The region has a whopping 60% unemployment rate. And it’s this poverty thats’s the underlining issue limiting progress.
Having built new primary classrooms, EwB is expanding tutoring services at the secondary level, specifically addressing strengthening students’ literacy and mathematics. They have also introduced arts programming (with a focus on singing, dance and photography) which has united and inspired students. With EwB’s support, new adult learning and career counselling services are in place to help address part of the socioeconomic problems. Their after school and tutoring programs include hot meals. So not only are do these programs provide safe spaces for kids and teens after school, they are also provided the only hot meal many of these students get in a day. Purchases from Snob include a donation to Education Without Borders and I am so proud and pleased of the work being done at Fezeka Secondary School. Won’t you consider clicking over to their website for information on all that is being done? It’s truly moving and impressive.