Belgian organisation to expand its educational programme in Komati
Over the past three years, Belgian organisation BEAD's internship programme has made a big impact on Komatipoort and surrounds. And they are planning even more programmes to assist local schools over the next few years.
KOMATIPOORT – “There is a new wind blowing in town since the Belgians have become involved in the community.”
Although Basic Education for African Development (BEAD) founder Nancy van Wuytswinkel shared this compliment from a Komatipoorter in jest, many others can attest to the positive influence of the Belgian interns who have worked in the town over the past three years.
Nancy and her fellow BEAD founder Bert Driessen visited Komatipoort last week, all the way from Belgium, to evaluate how the programme is going and to plan for the next few years’ involvement.
For the past three years, they have facilitated four-month internships for groups of Belgian students, who learn and teach at schools in and around Komatipoort. These learners have also left behind a growing range of projects and donations like playground games and improvements to infrastructure.
READ: Komatipoort children mark Belgian hearts
The most recent group of students are scheduled to leave Komatipoort today (Thursday) after a four-month internship and several have helped to initiate a trial nutrition programme and provided a supply of special pap to local schools during their stay.
READ: Belgian students promote nutrition among kids in Komatipoort area
BEAD is a non-profit organisation based in Belgium. They became actively involved in Komatipoort in 2014, but had been one of Komati Care Centre’s financial supporters even before that.
BEAD was assessing the school’s needs beyond finances when teachers mentioned that it would be great to get assistance, and the idea of doing students’ required three-month internship in the area was born.
Belgian students are required to do a four-month internship in their third and final year of studies and can do one abroad.
BEAD partnered with the Komati Care Centre and after their first group of five teachers in 2016 proved successful, they approached several other local pre- and primary schools to find out if they would be willing to participate in the programme.
The schools were very keen and the next year a group of 12, which included preschool and primary school teachers and two social workers, arrived in Komatipoort.
READ: Belgian students bring expertise to Komatipoort schools
BEAD aims to work with local schools and organisations to build bridges and forge strong relationships to ensure the programme is as effective as possible for the interns and the community.
The programme is regularly tweaked and new types of students are incorporated each year to ensure the programme continues to be relevant. “We look at the needs of the location and how we can facilitate an exchange of experience,” Van Wuytswinkel explained. This is partly the aim of their annual visits. Students submit reports to identify possible projects and these are then implemented by the following group.
Next year, they will bring psychology students, who will work with the local branch of the Christelike Maatskaplike Raad (CMR) for four months to assist children and families with intervention, emotional support and counselling.
Due to the increasing scope of their work, Driessen and Van Wuytswinkel hope to expand their organisation and want to include nursing school learners as part of the internship programme in 2020.
They will be able present health talks at schools in the area and on farms, as well as first aid and other health-related needs.
Driessen and Van Wuystwinkel were also involved in talks with the University of Mpumalanga with the aim of providing students with a crash course in South African history and culture. They also hope to include a few local students in their programme to help ease some of the culture shock the interns have experienced.
For more information or to follow the interns’ adventures, visit the BEAD Foundation Facebook page.
