LITERACY AND CONCRETE BLOCK PROJECT MANAGED BY RC PIETERMARITZBURGThe aim of this project is to extend the existing and give new dimensions to the Adult Literacy project in District 9270 (KwaZulu/Natal, South Africa) In the past we have concentrated on teaching literacy and numeracy to the indigenous illiterate adults of this province. We have now reached out to the many foreign refugees that have "invaded" this region and who cannot be assimilated into our community unless they become literate in English and IsiZulu, the two languages used in KZN. Rotary has a thriving project at the Steve Morris Memorial Literacy Centre in Durban which needs substantial funding if it is to continue its effectiveness. At the moment there are nearly one hundred registered students. We have also entered into an alliance with Operation Upgrade and the program is supported by the Department of Education in the KZN government in order to accelerate the training of literacy teachers to be employed by the Department for the teaching of illiterate adults. This development has had a dramatic impact on the campaign to eradicate illitreracy among our people. Last year Rotary and it’s alliance partner managed to train no fewer than 168 new teachers, exceeding by far our previous efforts. These new teachers will be reaching a minimum of 1500 new learners during this year. In order to maintain this momentum much further funding will be required. During the past decade there has been a huge influx of unemployed people from rural areas into our towns and cities, seeking employment and a means of livelihood. They are accommodated in "informal settlements" in shacks built with any bits of material that can be scrounged. Rotary has been conducting literacy classes in many of these urban settlements. The primary objective in this second additional project is to promote a cement block-making industry among the learners in our literacy classes. There is obviously a high demand for such building blocks in these informal settlements to enable the new arrivals to erect small buildings of a more permanent nature. The production of these blocks is quite simple and the ingredients are readily available. The machinery used to make the blocks is very inexpensive and easy to operate. A number of our literacy classes have already embarked on this exercise and have produced cement building blocks for which there is a definite demand. The aim of this added project is to increase the scale of this enterprise. The proceeds from the sale of the blocks will enable the learners, and their families improve their living conditions in an economic condition of very high unemployment and abject poverty.In all Rotary's adult literacy classes at KwaNibela - one of our major teaching sites in a remote area of Northern Zululand - there is an intensive AIDS program in operation where the learners are given instruction in the causes of AIDS, preventive measures and, most importantly, the caring of HIV/AIDS sufferers. It is estimated that the implementation of these new dimensions will extend over a period of 2 years.This is an example of the simple type of house which is built with concrete blocks. It is a child headed household of five children ages 12-17 years and was built in Northern KwaZulu-Natal by an NGO at a cost of about $3000. They would be a customer for concrete blocks as this is an ongoing program.MCUSHWA SCHOOL PORT SHEPSTONE SCHOOL – PROJECT OF RC HIBISCUS COASTThe school situated in a rural area inland from Margate on the lower South Coast of Kwa Zulu Natal was started in 1997 by Simon Shusha as a add on to the. Isikhuthali Primary School, Simon "borrowed" a class room and started teaching 30 standard 6 - (grade 8) learners who had passed Std 5 (grade) at Isikhuthali Primary. In the following year ,1998, he added two new staff members who although not registered with or paid by the department of education, he would pay (as he says, a thank you ) out of his own salary. At the same time he was building classrooms on a piece of land adjoining the primary school allocated to them by the tribal head of the area (Inks Solo ) |
