Providing sustainable support to local communities
The Monash Saturday School provides sustainable support to hundreds of children.
With both the local primary schools in the informal settlement of Zandspruit, South Africa extremely overcrowded, the student-volunteer run Monash Saturday School (MSS) provides a helping hand in the education of local children.
The community engagement teaching initiative, takes place at the Monash South Africa (MSA) campus every Saturday and provides a more personal education experience to children from Grade 4 to 12 from surrounding public schools and the Zandspruit community.
Community Engagement coordinator, Brownyn du Rand, said the MSS provides sustainable support to hundreds of children.
“Every week we have almost 200 children attend the School, supported by 70 MSA student volunteers. Many walk to us holding books, desperate to learn,” Ms du Rand said.
“The local schools have over 700 children each, which equals out to around 40 children per class, so it’s very crowded. Through MSS and the great relationships we have with the local schools and their principals, we are able to provide the children with long term support.”
Along with teaching basic literacy and numeracy skills, the MSS also educates children through Science Fairs, sports development and HIV/AIDS discussions. High school children are given sexual education classes, as well as exam preparation.
The MSS has a number of community partners who assist children beyond educational needs. As the MSS selects the children who are struggling the most in school, it is likely that the children may need assistance in other areas besides education.
“By conducting a series of vulnerability tests, using a tool developed by one of our community partners, Hope Worldwide, we are able to assess which children need the most assistance,” Ms du Rand said.
“Other areas such as food and nutrition, shelter and care, protection, health, psychosocial, education and skills training are assessed using these tests.”
These tests also assist in assessing whether MSS has made an impact on the children’s educational needs.
“The dilemma, however, is that we do not have the capacity or resources to assist the children if they are vulnerable in these other areas. Thankfully, our community partners have taken on the responsibility for greater support in these areas,” Ms du Rand said.
“These children are our future, and through MSS we are providing them with the facilities to further their education and become the best they can be.”
For more information on Monash South Africa visit their website.