South African Education and Environment Project

South African Education and Environment Project is an award-winning non-profit dedicated to serving children and youth in South Africa's disadvantaged township communities through educational support at every level of academic development. The organisation aims to help children and youth build their academic and life skills, obtain productive employment, and contribute as leaders to the economic and social development of their communities and their country.

Beneficiaries

SAEP serves children and youth growing up in Cape Town's township communities plagued by some of the highest rates of teen pregnancy, poverty, rape, theft and HIV/AIDS in the world.

History

SAEP (USA) was founded in 1994 by Norton Tennille as a Cape Town based, US funded non-governmental organisation focusing on environmental education and awareness. In 1998, SAEP (USA) broadened its educational support activities to include after-school tutoring in core academic subject areas, including biology, mathematics, and English at Sinethemba Senior Secondary School in Philippi township, Cape Town.

In 2003, SAEP (USA) and Jane Keen, a South African social worker, teamed up to form SAEP (SA), a sister organisation which was registered as a community-based South African Non-Profit Organisation that year and two years later became a registered Public Benefit Organisation.

Awards

In 2008, SAEP's Early Childhood Development Programme won an ABSA/Sowetan award as runner up Western Cape Resource Training Organization of the Year. Also in 2008, SAEP (USA)’s founder, Norton Tennille, won the national Inyathelo Award for Exceptional Philanthropy for his groundbreaking work in education in the schools of Philippi and neighbouring townships.

SAEP's Programmes and Objectives

1. Through partnerships with under-resourced township crèche principals, to increase access to quality Early Childhood Education in black township communities.

2. Through partnerships with township high schools, provide afterschool tutoring and mentorship programmes for children grades 9 through 12 to improve numeracy and English literacy among black township youth.

3. Through enrichment programming in the arts and the environment among aforementioned partner high schools, to expand horizons, build confidence, and empower black township youth.

4. Through a bridging year programme to develop the academic and soft skills of recent township matriculants, to enhance the likelihood of tertiary success among black township youth.

5. Through a tertiary support programme, a bursary and mentorship programme for bridging year graduates, to improve tertiary graduation rates among black township youth.

SAEP's Early Childhood Development Programme (SAEP-ECD)

SAEP's Early Childhood Development programme works to enable severely under-resourced township crèches (daycares) to become quality Early Childhood Development Centres able to adequately and sustainably provide for children with regard to their education, safety, health, and development. The programme operates through partnerships between SAEP and crèche principals.

Origin of SAEP-ECD

SAEP's partnership with township crèches began in 2003 when Luyanda Bolisi, a township high school learner receiving academic support from SAEP, asked the organisation to extend assistance to his mother's struggling crèche, Noncedo Educare.

At the time, Nolithemba Bolisi, the founder of Noncedo, was caring for 95 children in a small corrugated wood and iron shack that lacked running water, sanitation, electricity, heat and insulation. She often paid out of her own pocket to supply meals for the children, and was unable to provide her staff a living wage or her beneficiaries a Grade R education. Her own resources were stretched, and she was unable to meet requirements to qualify for state subsidy.

Soon after SAEP began working with Ms. Bolisi, she introduced SAEP to nine other similarly under-resourced township women struggling to provide ECD care in their communities. These women also sought support. SAEP's Jane Keen then created the Early Childhood Development(ECD) programme structured around the specific needs articulated by these crèche principals.

Today, with the help of SAEP, Noncedo is registered with the Department of Social Development and receives state subsidy. The centre now has two beautiful brick classrooms, a container classroom, kitchen, toilet block, jungle gym, and vegetable garden, as well as well-trained staff providing quality care, meals, and pre-school education.

Milestones of SAEP-ECD

In five years, SAEP's Early Childhood Development Programme has improved the quality of care and physical environments of 16 ECD centres (7 of which were only taken on in 2008). Four ECD centres (Qhamani, Zamukhanyo, Noluthando and Noncedo) have been completely rebuilt; they can now provide proper classrooms and sanitation facilities. Side-by-side with principals and staff, SAEP has erected 6 new fences and 10 jungle gyms, repaired and replaced numerous roofs, repainted 13 classrooms, and raised money for many new toys, blankets, and other supplies. SAEP also supplies e-pap, a nutrient-rich porridge, daily to the children in all partner crèches. SAEP has provided training to 16 ECD centres in HIV/AIDS, first aid, financial management and governing body training. All of SAEP's original partner crèches are now fully registered ECD centres and are receiving the state per-child subsidy.

SAEP's High School Academic and Enrichment Programmes

Hope Scholars. In 2009, SAEP launched this programme to benefit a select group of 30 highly motivated Grade 9 students at two township high schools. Hope Scholars provides advanced tutorials in English, mathematics, and the sciences; cultural and educational excursions; and mentorship and leadership activities afterschool Monday through Thursday. The programme hopes to support these learners through grade 12, while taking on a new grade 9 cohort each year.

ADT Teach. Funded by ADT Security, this project brings computers into three high schools in Philippi and Samora Machel and provides computer literacy training for Grade 10 learners. The programme hopes to continue working with the learners through grade 12, bringing each participant to an intermediate/advanced level of computer literacy by matriculation, while taking on a new cohort of grade 10 learners each year. The programme is managed by Avuyile Koli, an experienced IT professional and talented teacher from Cape Town.

Matric Success. Matric Success is an intensive afterschool tutoring and test preparation programme for Grade 12 learners at two township high schools. The programme works in partnership with grade 12 teachers to dramatically improve matric pass rates and overall scores. SAEP provides focused tutoring in English, mathematics and the sciences afterschool Monday through Thursday for participating learners. Matric Success is provided by tutors from the University of Cape Town and is coordinated by SAEP's qualified international volunteers together with high school teachers. Three hundred learners participated in the programme in 2009.

Winter School. SAEP runs an intensive annual winter school for township learners in core academic subject areas, including English, mathematics and physical sciences. The school is coordinated and run by SAEP's high school staff and local and international volunteers. Over 150 learners attended the school in 2008.

Environmental Education Programme. Through afterschool workshops and weekend hikes for learners at five township schools, this programme gives learners access to knowledge about their natural heritage, allows them to be inspired by outdoors experiences, and offers them brief refuge from the dense urban settlements in which they live. Led by tutors and skilled guides, including from the UCT Mountain and Ski Club and the Mountain Club of South Africa, the wilderness excursions also build upon and bring to life the students’ Biology, Life Sciences, and Geography curricula. One hundred learners grades 9 through 12 participated in the programme in 2009.

Arts Programme. SAEP provides visual and performing arts courses, music lessons and creative writing workshops to learners at five high schools. It hosts an annual Township Arts Festival showcasing the students’ artwork, including paintings, sculpture, music, drama and poetry performances. Over 200 learners grades 9 through 12 benefitted from the Arts programme in 2009.

Bridging Year Programme

The bridging year is a full-time programme for a cohort of 10–15 promising recent township matriculants. The programme is staffed by professional tutors who work intensively with participants to help them improve their academic skills and re-write the matric exam. The bridging year also provides space to explore career interests, build leadership skills and improve personal maturity through job shadowing, community service opportunities, and exposure to new ideas, experiences, and places. Participants are also given assistance with tertiary and bursary applications. Fifteen youth participated in the programme in 2009.

Tertiary Support Programme

The tertiary support programme provides continued mentorship and tutoring to former bridging year interns entering tertiary. SAEP also provides refurbished computers to the learners and a bursary of typically around R 10,000 per learner per year, depending on individual needs, to cover the deficit left by NSFAS loans and other bursaries. More than a dozen SAEP learners are being supported in 2009.

See also

• Durban Industry Climate Change Partnership Project