In Navigating a better future

February Blog: Where We Are

I want to start this blog with 2 massive thank you’s. I want to thank my godmother, Christine McCarthy and her daughter Hannah who ran the Brighton Half Marathon and raised over R10,000. That’s a huge amount of money that’s going to go a long way. It means the world to have family and friends who not only support us with words of support but also help us raise money to continue our work here. They would like their donation to go towards sports equipment and I can’t wait to show them what we will buy with their money!!

Another huge thank you goes to Erik Fladager who raised over $1,000 USD! Erik would like that money to go towards scholarships for the children’s high school education and this is exactly where it will go.

Thank you so much to you all for undertaking those tough challenges to help raise money for the children in Lavender Hill!

Now for an update.

Our teacher, Lara, started on Feb 1, and has been doing a great job so far. We are using the money raised for the Cape Town Marathon to help pay her wages. She is currently doing leadership courses with children in grades 4-7. However, it is her work on the Grade 7’s High School applications that I am most impressed with. It will also have a huge impact.

If you grow up in a township, you go to a township primary school, you then go to township high school and after that, the cycle continues. You stay in the township, it doesn’t matter how intelligent you are. We want to get as many of these children out of Lavender Hill as possible. 

TCT is helping students with their high school applications to schools outside of Lavender Hill. Those who are accepted will then be able to apply for a TCT scholarship for their chosen high school.

Without the money, and application help that TCT is providing, these children who have the potential to do so much will inevitably end up in the same cycle. We are enabling those children who wish to change their lives and get out of Lavender Hill, the opportunity to do so. But we need help financially so that we can help as many children as possible get out. 

High school is vitally important for these children. If they are accepted to a better-resourced high school, they will then have the opportunity to apply for university, or at least find a higher paid job than those who are stuck in the township cycle. Education is key. 

TCT will run out of money in July so any money raised will help us fund scholarships for the next academic year which starts January 2017. We have time to raise money to help those who want a better future. We are currently helping students with their applications for 4 schools. Zwaanswyk Academy, South Peninsula, Cape Academy of Maths and Science and Muizenberg High School. ZW and SP both close of March 11, Cape Academy is open for a while and Muizenberg applications open on March 11. 

We are doing all we can to get them into better high schools, but after that, if they are accepted, we will need all the help we can get to help fund these childrens dreams. 

The scholarships will be provided for their whole high school career, conditional on their grades. 

Township high school fees are around 100USD per year. We are trying to get the children into schools costing anywhere from 500-1,000USD per year. 

As for the sports, we have done an athletics unit so far this term and we are now currently doing Softball! It’s as fun as ever!!!

Our Social Media has been very focused on a negative aspect of Lavender Hill, gangsterism, in the last month. In March we will be back focusing on all the positives of working in such a vibrant community.

On a personal note, my parents came to visit for the last week of February and got to visit the school and see what we are up to. In March, I will also have a visit from my sister which I can’t wait for!

Always good and love to all,

Matt

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