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Cause: ORT South Africa (ORT SA)
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NPO: 030-521-NPO |
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Contact Number: 011 728 7154 |
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| ORT works principally in the primary school, crèches and CMC (Community Management Committee) in an effort to respond to its vast and urgent needs. Dikhatole is an informal settlement, with a population of up to 50,000 people. It is a very poor and marginalised urban community, characterised by extreme poverty, a lack of basic service provisions and high levels of unemployment. There is only one primary school in the area, attended by 1,400 children, though there are almost 15,000 other children below the age of 15, who currently receive no formal education, in the community. Accommodation varies from brick houses to tin shacks, erected on inadequate and basic roads. Young children can be seen playing, wearing little clothing, in dirty water ditches, sometimes with live electricity cables running through them. Substance abuse, alcoholism, and prostitution are a great problem within the community, and the prevalence of teenage pregnancies, STDs and HIV/AIDS is extremely high due to a lack of access to family planning, sexual health and counselling. Do it Day in Dikathole had the potential to be a great fun day in the community and to have sustainable benefits. Those children not involved in formal education, who are normally seen wandering the streets of Dikathole, or playing in dirty water ditches, would have the opportunity to interact with people from outside their community, partake in educational activities and take home their own toys, masks and kites. Women would learn a new cooking skill, as well as how to make soap which they would be able to sell as a source of income. The male youth and men who are unemployed and often spend the day loitering in the streets, would have the chance to play competitive soccer as well as benefit from the expertise of an Aon volunteer, Garth Suelz. |
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| The Do It Day in Dikathole had the potential to be a great fun day in the community and to have sustainable benefits: Children had a day of interaction with people from outside their community, and took home their own toys, such as masks, kites and musical instruments, that they made themselves. The children who benefitted were those not involved in formal education, who valued the interaction. Women learnt a new cooking skill and received flour and salt to take home, and also learnt to make soap which they could sell as a source of income. The male youth and men who are unemployed, who usually spend the day loitering in the streets, had some structure in their day, and had input and interaction with other communities as well as benefit from the expertise of a professional soccer coach. The day also provided a positive environment. The clean up was an opportunity to lead by example, encouraging groups to do clean-ups in their areas. |
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| Volunteers spent the day interacting with and entertaining the children, assisting community members with activities, bread-making, soap making, soccer coaching and arts and crafts activities. 36 AON volunteers participated and at least 12 ORT SA staff as well as some community members. |
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| AON sponsored the Day. |
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| ORT SA, together with our UK volunteers, would like to thank all the AON staff who participated in the day and made it the great success that it was! |
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| R 11, 000 |
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