Another year starts and with it comes new opportunities to dream big, find significance, abound in growth, make mistakes, learn from them, and bring about meaningful change. For us, 2022 carries hope. Hope that we\’ll see the impact of our Programmes continue in the lives of more children, teachers and community members. Hope that our donors and partners experience the reward of seeing the fruit of their generosity being harvested and enjoyed. Hope for our future and hope for our community.
January sees a new academic year start for our iThemba Scholar and Educare children. As with any new beginning, the feelings of excitement and nervousness become familiar friends to these children but the comfort of being in a safe and happy space will soon settle their hearts and minds.
We are grateful to have 14 iThemba Scholars in our Programme this year, our two littlest ones, aged 2-3, starting in Grade 0000 at Waterfall Pre-Primary for the first time. Another key moment for the Programme is seeing our two oldest Scholars start their high school journey in Grade 8 at Waterfall College! It is going to be a good year for our boys and girls, we are certain of it.
Our iThemba Educare Programme also has a few exciting things in store. Our ten Partner Pre-Schools open their doors to over 500 expectant young minds, offering them quality Early Childhood Development and a happy and loving environment to spend their days. Teacher training resumes as well as the Effective Parenting Workshops run through Focus on the Family Africa. Phase 2 of Project Star, which entails the addition of a third classroom and a vegetable garden, will also take place this year!
Lastly, we have the privilege of continuing our symbiotic partnership with Waterfall Schools. Our Campus, also known as our \”Place of Hope\”, is blossoming beautifully! Not only from a landscaping perspective, but also through the occupancy of a thriving group of schools – it is a great delight to see them enjoy our beautiful Campus so much.
Partnerships with our donors remain the reason for why we are able to continue our impact and we couldn\’t be more grateful for this! If you would like to learn more about us and discover new partnership opportunities, please contact Tayla Goss on tayla@focusonithemba.org or 031 710 1800.
