Special needs project Phalaborwa
Teachers for Africa Foundation would like to draw your attention to a particularly vulnerable group in South Africa, especially in a poor and rural municipality like Ba-Phalaborwa, namely children and young adults with disabilities. All these people deserve a focused place with solid education and support.
Our foundation works closely with two local occupational therapists who together support two shanty towns (townships) within Ba-Phalaborwa municipality with their commitment and knowledge. Both occupational therapists have also independently started little schools for children and young adults with disabilities, as these groups are regularly “tucked away” behind the front door, with dire consequences.
Partner schools:
- Horisani Inclusive Learning Center, Lulekani, Phalaborwa > 40 students
- Khomanani Special Needs Project, Phalaborwa > 40 young adults
- Retuchegile Special Needs Project, Phalaborwa > 40 young adults
- Purulenka handicapped project, Ga-Mashishimale, Phalaborwa > 40 students
- Nthabiseng disability project, Ga-Mashishimale, Phalaborwa > 150 pupils
- Frangipani disabled project, Phalaborwa town > 25 students
- Yingisani School for the Deaf, Special Education, Tzaneen > 180 students
Education project Phalaborwa
Since 2015, we have been supporting our longer-running education project at a disadvantaged primary and secondary school in Phalaborwa, where we have jointly set up a Learner Support Centre (learning centre) with the management team of both government schools.
Both primary and secondary schools struggle with overcrowded classes of sometimes as many as 130(!) students per classroom, little to no further facilities, but an enthusiastic and professional teaching and management team. The pupils’ backgrounds are often problematic: think poverty, domestic violence, HIV/AIDS and child-headed households, where a pupil has to run the household himself because the parents are either deceased or work far away. Students need structural help so that we can give them a better chance to make something of their future.
Our learning centre provides help to pupils in small groups by offering them extra provided English by local teaching assistants that our foundation supports monetarily. In this way, the school and local people are directly involved in education. The learning centre is also used as a tool for differentiation: each pupil is guided at his/her own level. Furthermore, the learning centre serves as a library and study centre. What is unique about our learning centre is that it is also open during school hours.
Partner schools:
- Refense Primary School, Namakhale, Phalaborwa > 1000 pupils with an average of 80 pupils per class with one teacher
- Lebeko High School, Ga-Mashishimale, Phalaborwa > 1000 pupils
- Mashishimal Primary School, Ga-Mashishimale, Phalaborwa > 160 pupils who receive weekly sports lessons
Project new building for special needs
Teachers for Africa is committed to the realization of a new building for Horisani Special Needs School in township Lulekani, Phalaborwa. The current school building is very basic and not adapted for disabled people. In addition, this day-to-day project is forced to use the toilet building of the young adults day-care project Khomanani, with all kinds of associated risks. There are unsafe situations in the toilet block every now and then, and the staff struggles to improve the situation as they cannot always be on standby to police the premises.
With a new building with facilities for disabled people, it is possible that this day-to-day project can accept more special needs pupils who unfortunately have no space at present due to their specific disability. In addition, it is good to know that this school is the only daycare project for students with disabilities in Lulekani.
Bank details
Dutch account: Rabobank (BIC: RABONL2U) – NL06 RABO 0111 6549 98 in the name of Stichting Docenten voor Afrika
South African account: FNB (SWIFT: FIRNZAJJ), branch code Hout Bay – 62441566348 in the name of Teachers for Africa Foundation
Fiscal Code:
820583546
Public Benefit Organization
Our non-profit organization is registered under the Dutch Tax Administration number 34331089. We also have an official ANBI status, which proves we are a Public Benefit Organization, our efforts are therefore only focused on the general good and we comply with all the integrity requirements.
