Ikamva works to give children a brighter future, even during lockdown

Education across the country has been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, but what does it mean for schoolchildren from underprivileged communities?

The Fourways Review reached out to Sakhile Dubazana, the coordinator of the Diepsloot branch of the IkamvaYouth organisation, to find out how present circumstances were affecting the Diepsloot children and the Ikamva Diepsloot team. The non-profit organisation currently works with 136 high school children on weekdays and Saturday, offering tutoring, career guidance and workshops on life skills to help them have a brighter future.

“Following President Cyril Ramaphosa’s call for the cancellation of all events and gatherings of more than 100 people, IkamvaYouth has decided to suspend all tutoring sessions, meetings and events with immediate effect,” said Dubazana.

“We aligned with the national approach, while at the same time remaining resilient to service the organisation’s beneficiaries, mainly the learners. At a time such as this, our learners need help most, as they may not have the resources that private schools have. We will carry on delivering on our mandate to ensure learners continue to be able to access academic support during the lengthy shutdown.”

Over the past few weeks, Ikamva tutors have offered online support in lieu of face-to-face learning at their premises near Diepsloot Mall. They have been using tools such as WhatsApp and Facebook to communicate with the children, and participants who do not have access to computers or smart phones, have been provided with hard copy resources such as study guides to work with.

As Dubazana and his colleagues continue their work, they hope that members of the public will not forget about the children in the informal settlement and will lend support where possible.

“The public can donate food parcels, especially for learners from child-headed households, they can also volunteer for our mentorship programme which is scheduled to commence at the beginning of term two.

“We also have a feeling our learners will need a lot of support after the lockdown, and as such, job shadowing opportunities could also prove useful, so the learners can have a clearer picture of the future they are working towards.”

If you can help, please contact the Ikamva Gauteng and North West district manager Maria Sikaundi or Dubazana directly.

Details: Maria Sikaundi maria@ikamvayouth.org; 061 895 7733. Sakhile Dubazana sakhile@ikamvayouth.org; 062 670 3231.

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