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March 2022 newsletter
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“Those who try never fail" - Courtney, 12 years old, in grade 5
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Our families continue to suffer from the impact of the COVID crisis and of its economic restrictions. Many of our Three2Six parents lost their sources of income due to the pandemic and are still trying to get back on their feet. Sustaining their families is still a struggle for them, even more than before the pandemic.
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If you would like to donate food items for our families or can put us in touch with organisations that provide food donations to vulnerable families, please do not hesitate to contact us at advocacy@three2six.co.za. Every donation counts! Thank you for supporting us.
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Fun day with Turquoise Harmony Institute
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On the 18th, the learners from our Sacred Heart College campus had a fun day with our partner, the Turquoise Harmony Institute. The day was full of activities such as storytelling, painting, jumping castle, cupcake decoration, balloon shaping and a picnic. The learners had an amazing time!
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On the 29th, our volunteers organised a craft activity with the learners at our Observatory Girls’ Primary School campus. Using paper, the learners had to draw a balloon shape and write in it what they were grateful for. All the drawings were put together on a poster for the children to discuss in class.
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This month, some of our learners helped keep their school clean for all by picking up litter in their assembly area. They know that a clean environment is a healthy environment which benefits the whole community.
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Human trafficking workshops
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Towards the end of the month, most of our learners attended workshops on human trafficking by the Scalabrini Institute for Human Mobility in Africa (SIHMA). The workshops introduced the learners to the concept of trafficking, and how and why it takes place.
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The children were given practical advice not to trust strangers and to report human trafficking attempts to parents and teachers or to call the human trafficking hotline. SIHMA provided scenarios on this topic, and learners had to state whether it was a human trafficking case, how they would react if they were to be approached by strangers and whom to report to.
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The grade 6 learners had a debate class with our volunteer Charmaine. They were taught interesting debating and public speaking skills. After practicing how to make an argument and debating, the learners had to choose from two topics: “Books are better than movies in terms of education” and “School uniforms shouldn't be compulsory” to debate on.
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This really helped them develop good arguments and bring new ideas to the class. It also allowed them to think outside the box and to improve their research skills.
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Establishment of student councils
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This month, our team looked at how to increase child participation at the project. As part of this, it was decided to create student councils on all our campuses. In each grade, two children (one boy, one girl) were appointed. They are in charge of discipline in class and around the campuses, and they communicate the needs of the learners to the teachers and vice versa. Their additional tasks include making sure there is no noise in the classes, that learners are well behaved during assembly, and that the school environment remains clean.
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These learners were selected because they possess leadership skills and are well behaved. They were voted by their peers and validated by the teachers. Next month, the delegates will be attending a leadership camp to teach them further about their responsibilities and what is expected of a leader.
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Donation by host school community
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On the 16th, the grade 2 learners received toy candies that were donated by the Sacred Heart College Matric Dance committee. This was wildly appreciated by the children.
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Mask distribution
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With COVID-19 still part of our lives, we need to keep protecting ourselves and others. Despite further easing of restrictions in the country, certain COVID-19 protocols still apply, including the wearing of masks. The project bought masks for all its learners, which were distributed this month.
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On the 5th, volunteers from the Marist Youth Movement held an alumni day at Sacred Heart College. This day was about educational assistance. The first activity was around mindfulness meditation which is a very useful coping mechanism for when exams are approaching, for moments of uncertainty and for "overwhelming emotions”.
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Sarah from the University of the Witwatersrand led an activity in which the learners drew different shapes and coloured in the emotions they felt. The activity aimed to help the children become aware of their feelings as well as how to communicate what they feel to others. It was then time for homework, the volunteers helped the alumni with schoolwork they were struggling with. Many had challenges with mathematics, IsiZulu and Afrikaans. After that, they played a general knowledge learning game and Pam Paton-Mills concluded the day with a reflection session on gratitude and hope.
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Community garden at Observatory Girls'
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On the 28th of February, Food and Trees for Africa visited our Observatory Girls’ Primary School campus and conducted a workshop on gardening. The campus received a sponsorship that was approved in December last year to create a garden with all equipment, training and resources paid for and provided by our partner.
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Since then, six parents from the day school and from Three2Six were identified to create this food project for the school community. They have already started working on it together.
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Advocacy update
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Presentation at university
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The month began with a presentation on Three2Six at the University of the Witwatersrand, for a group of Master's students in Child Life and Pediatric Psychosocial Care. During the presentation by our coordinator Justine, we talked about the history of the project, why it exists, its mission, its vision, and the value of the project.
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Justine also emphasized some of the challenges our children face, such as statelessness and poverty, and the ones faced by our parents (e.g. documentation, abuse, language barriers, poverty, unemployment, and poor living conditions). This presentation helped raise awareness of the general challenges migrants and refugees face in South Africa.
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On the 18th, the project was invited to the Beit Emanuel Progressive Synagogue, for their Human Rights Shabbat programme. Several NGOs shared their initiatives, including Three2Six which had a stall at the event and gave out copies of its poetry booklet and its "Talking and Thinking about Refugees" resource. The participants then got together for a service and a lovely meal.
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After many months of work, the team has finalised this operations manual which will be available from next month for all those who may be interested in finding out more about the Three2Six model and how it functions. We hope it will inspire others to start Three2Six projects in other parts of the world to bridge the educational gap for refugee and migrant children. Stay tuned!
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We are excited to share with you the second video of our initiative to help change the narrative around migration. It is called “I have a dream”. This time, some of our children tell us more about their dreams for the future.
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A big thank you to Ben, Divine and our children for their help with this project!
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Each donation counts and helps us make a valuable change in the lives of our learners
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