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Three2Six newsletter - July 2024
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Mandela Day at the project, 18 July
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Annual report
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If you missed the news, we’ve released our 2023 annual report! It is filled with information on the work our team accomplished last year, our partnerships, updates from past students, our finances, and much more. Be sure to check it out here.
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Mandela Day celebrations
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The Grade 6 learners were bursting with excitement as they eagerly anticipated celebrating Mandela Day! Their 68 minutes of service began with a school premises clean-up campaign, demonstrating their commitment to making a positive impact.
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Three2Six student reading a poem
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Next, they proceeded to the school Chapel, where they entertained our school Chaplain, Fr Letsie, the two retired Dominican Sisters, Sr Maureen and Sr Evelyn, and our admin staff with a special programme. The highlight of the event was when the students recited their own heartfelt poems about Nelson Mandela, showcasing their creativity and dedication to his legacy.
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Our guests were thoroughly impressed by the students’ enthusiasm and thought-provoking performances. It was a truly unforgettable celebration that embodied the spirit of Mandela Day! A big thank you to our supportive parents and to Ms Myeza and Mrs Sithole who worked tirelessly to help make this day a success.
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Another highlight of this special day was our director’s visit to the preschool at our former host school, Sacred Heart College. He spoke enthusiastically to the young students about what Three2Six does for children excluded from the mainstream school system. Inspired to contribute to the cause, these young activists made stationery and food donations, which will be distributed to our beneficiaries. Children from local school Education Evolution also made a donation to the project, by preparing sandwiches for our students, who enjoyed them on their way home. A big thank you to everyone for their kindness and generosity!
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Precieuse 3 launch
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What a treat it was to gather with our supporters for a special occasion: the launch of our new animated video, Precieuse 3.
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This project began last year with a group of Three2Six alumni coming together every Saturday for about three months to develop a sequel to Precieuse 1 and Precieuse 2, to continue to tell the stories of refugee children and youth in South Africa. Precieuse 3 is the story of the previous videos’ characters a few years later, from ongoing struggles in accessing basic services such as education to powerful relationships that transcend stereotypes, teaching us all a lesson in inclusivity and tolerance. It was an incredible opportunity to have our long-standing supporter, Andre Croucamp, and his team on board, guiding the entire artistic process. A huge shoutout to them for their dedication to Three2Six and to this new project.
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The launch of the video took place at the Bioscope Independent Cinema thanks to the support of our partner, the Consortium for Refugees and Migrants in South Africa (CoRMSA). After screening the three videos, Andre and others involved in this process engaged in a Q&A session with the guests, followed by drinks and snacks to continue the discussion. If you haven’t seen it yet, watch Precieuse 3 here. A warm thank you to Lizette Cressey who covered the event and took these beautiful pictures.
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Learning through manual activities
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Our Grade 2 students have been getting creative with their latest art project, inspired by different modes of transport. They crafted incredible 3D hot air balloons, bringing their lesson to life in a vibrant and imaginative way. Using colourful paper, they traced, cut, and pasted their designs together, making their art truly soar!
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Ophthalmological support
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Some of the services provided to our Three2Six families are made possible by dedicated individuals who believe in and support our work. A great example of this is the wonderful help we have been receiving from optometrist Tania Noach for the last two years. This year, she once again provided free eye screenings and glasses to some of our students in need. We are incredibly grateful to her for making these typically expensive services available to our families. This was made possible through the support of Diana Messerschmidt and Fr Eduardo as well. Thank you so much!
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Outing
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It is easier to navigate life with a clear mind and a healthy body. During a visit to French Consul Etienne Chapon’s house, a group of students got to experience this firsthand. The wonderful yoga instructor Maya guided them through simple poses that they can practice at home to boost concentration at school and reduce stress. Following this, the very talented Vuyisile led a gardening session, sharing his secrets for successfully growing vegetables at home and making healthy smoothies.
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At the end of this enriching morning, the children and our team enjoyed a lavish Indian lunch that left our students wanting more. Merci beaucoup to the French Consul, Maya and Vuyisile for making the morning so special!
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Visitors
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Thanks to the support of the Catholic Institute of Education (CIE), we welcomed two representatives from the Catholic education network in Congo Brazzaville. The morning was spent exchanging insights on our respective work and on-the-ground realities, followed by a tour of our host school’s premises to introduce our visitors to our activities. After engaging with our staff and students, some children took the opportunity to showcase their dance moves for our guests. Thank you for the visit!
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Grade 3s and staff from De La Salle Holy Cross College put together stationery sets for the children at the project. They made colourful holders for each set which all contained pictures to colour! Our children loved them and made good use of them during the second term.
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We also received a very generous donation of shoes and clothes from a local supporter, Beatrice Watermeyer. These items are currently being distributed to our children in need. We couldn't be more grateful to have such a supportive community!
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LIFSA Community Leadership Training
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Building skills for greater impact. Our team recently participated in a series of valuable training sessions offered by our funder, LIFSA, covering the following key areas: project cycle management & monitoring and evaluation, budget management and fundraising, communications and digital marketing, and gender-based violence sensitisation. These four full-day sessions, featuring expert presentations and practical exercises, have equipped our staff with the skills to enhance our daily work and deepen our impact.
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Booklet launch
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Last year, sixteen of our children participated in an arts-based storytelling project led by Kate Shand and Nereida Ripero-Muñiz, an art therapist and a social scientist. Over six weeks, they guided the children in expressing themselves around the theme “the meaning of home”, helping them create narratives to heal from their traumas. The workshop was supported by the Department of Modern Languages (MDLL) and the School of Literature, Language and Media (SLLM) at the University of the Witwatersrand.
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The resulting booklet, titled “The meaning of home”, provides insight into how the workshop activities were conducted, how the children were supported in expressing themselves, and looks at the impact such interventions can have on their psychosocial development, wellbeing and literacy skills. The goal is to encourage the replication of similar initiatives elsewhere. Both our director and project coordinator wrote pieces for this booklet. You can read the toolkit here. Thanks so much to Kate and Nereida for the incredible support they provided to our children through this artistic project.
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News from our alumni
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We were incredibly excited to learn that one of our past learners, Sidler, graduated from the University of Pretoria with a BComm Law this year. This milestone comes twelve years after Sidler first joined the project as a child. Congratulations to him on such a fantastic achievement!
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Alumni day
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This past alumni day was spent reviewing the progress of the goals that the pupils had set for themselves at the beginning of the year. They analysed the feasibility, executability and whether or not they were able to achieve the academic and personal goals they had set. After reflecting, they went on to set new goals for the second half of the year, these new goals were accompanied by step-by-step plans, timetables, discipline and time management mechanisms.
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The pupils got the chance to use some of the technology present at Sacred Heart College, they were tasked with researching and summarising news articles pertaining current affairs. The alumni concluded the session by presenting their findings to the group, while presenting, they incorporated the presentation skills and techniques that they have been taught during previous alumni day sessions. Well done to them!
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Each donation counts and helps us make a valuable change in the lives of our learners.
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