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Three2Six newsletter - September 2022
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“Home is a place of love” - Trelisa, 14 years, grade 5 learner at Three2Six
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Upcoming changes at Three2Six
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If you haven’t received our recent communication, we are excited to announce changes in the project for 2023. These changes will allow the children to benefit from a full day at school and better prepare them for integration into public schools.
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The Three2Six Refugee Children’s Education Project has operated since 2008. Since then, thousands of children who would have missed out on schooling have been educated on three campuses. The project has benefitted from the shared resources on these campuses. The project has operated for three hours a day and provided children with uniforms, stationery, meals, transport, and psycho-social support. There have been holiday programmes organised, which included many curriculum enrichment opportunities. The primary focus of the day-to-day curriculum has been Literacy, Numeracy and Life Skills, the project has also played an important role in helping children transition into public schools.
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The limited teaching time every day and difficulties in transitioning from Grade 6 to Grade 7 have been two big challenges the project has faced. The Marist Schools Council has acquired an additional school facility in Belgravia and is keen to strengthen the Three2Six Project. In 2023 the Project will be located on the new campus and the children will be integrated into the existing school with other children, and this will strengthen the social cohesion dimension of the project. Students will still enjoy the support they presently get (such as meals and uniforms), but importantly they will benefit from a full day at school and a comprehensive curriculum. They will also enjoy an extra-mural programme, part of which will take place on the Sacred Heart College campus. The children will still benefit from psycho-social support as well as the dedicated support we offer for refugee and migrant children.
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Our current fundraising efforts in the Project will be mobilised to support the children in the new school. We will continue with our advocacy activities to ensure that our work maintains its profile, as well as ensure that we influence policymakers to take the education of refugees seriously.
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Three2Six project director
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Art festival
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For months our learners prepared for an art festival which took place on the 26th of September. We exhibited drawings and paintings of our current and past learners on the theme being a refugee for all to see their incredible work and talents. Parents, funders and partners, host school staff, journalists, and other guests were invited to see the learners on stage reciting poetry, singing, performing traditional dances and drama. Some Sacred Heart College learners joined the celebrations to read poems from the Three2Six poetry booklet launched last year on the same theme.
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After the beautiful performances, there was the unveiling of the mural painted by our learners from all campuses. Looking at the mural, one might only notice the beautiful colours on the tiles but that’s not all, as each tile tells the story of what “home” means for our learners. For our children who have had a transitory existence, this mural represents permanence. It is also a way of thanking Sacred Heart College for being our first host school and for welcoming our learners since 2008.
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Big thanks to our alumni Jemi - currently a Matric student and deputy president at the College - for doing an amazing job as the master of the ceremony!
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Thank you also to Lizette Cressey who took stunning pictures of the event.
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The media outlet GroundUp was at the event and wrote an article on this great afternoon. Read it here. More pictures and a short clip of the event to follow!
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Visitors at the project
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On the 9th, we had the pleasure of receiving our long-standing funder, the HCI Foundation, at the project. We went to the classrooms to see the lessons of the day, and our visitors talked to our team about the project’s activities and plans for the future. Thank you for their unwavering support of what we do.
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Later this month, a professional photographer working for our funder Terre des Hommes visited one of our campuses. He took pictures and videos of the activities of the day with our children. We look forward to sharing the result.
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We are grateful to be able to meet with our friends and supporters in person again, after close to two years of COVID. If you would also like to visit Three2Six and see the project in action, please contact us at advocacy@three2six.co.za
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Food donations
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We are so grateful for the wonderful support received from the Jewish Board of Deputies and Afrika Awake this month! They provided food parcels to all our families to relieve them of some of the daily stressors they face. The parcels consisted of a bag of mielie meal and a bag of tea per learner. Your support goes a long way!
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International literacy day
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Celebrated on the 8th of September each year, this day is important because of its emphasis on the role of literacy for one’s development.
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Our volunteer took groups of learners to our library and spoke about how critical it is to know how to read and write as theseskills are needed almost everywhere. She also highlighted that illiteracy is still a major issue globally and that our children are helping fight this scourge by attending Three2Six.
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Sports events
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Our learners took part in the inter-catholic athletics event hosted by Sacred Heart College on the 16th. Catholic schools such as Holy Rosary, Lourdes, Maryvale, Mayfair Convent, and St Teresa’s competed in sprints, 600-metre runs and relays.
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Another sports day was organised towards the end of the month between Sacred Heart College, Dominican Convent School and our project. In their groups, learners took part in racing and different obstacle courses. Well done to all the participants who did their best!
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Grade 8 learners from one of our host schools interviewed some of our children for their integrated studies project. Questions asked were around knowing the Three2Six learners, their hobbies, their families, and their likes and dislikes. We can’t wait to hear the recordings.
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This month’s alumni day which took place on the 3rd was all about knowing oneself and “identity”. Volunteers led a discussion where they demonstrated that one behaves differently based on the environment they find themselves in (e.g. school, home, church). We can wear different hats, but that doesn’t mean one cannot be himself/herself.
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Volunteers also offered academic support to past learners that needed help with their homework and school assignments. Moving on to the fun part of the day, our group of alumni played soccer and did a scavenger hunt. See you all soon!
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After months of work on this project, we are delighted to share with you our narrative booklet! It is a compilation of stories from our parents who are refugees or migrants in the country. They were interviewed by our advocacy officer last year who looked at the issues that they encounter in South Africa with regards to accessing their basic rights. This booklet tells the stories of many non-South Africans whose lives are difficult because of documentation issues which have in turn a ripple effect on their other rights (e.g. education, health, employment).
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Click here to momentarily step into the shoes of refugees and migrants.
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Staff update
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We are excited to announce that Kelsay Hyam Correa has joined our team! She has taken up the fundraising officer role, a field in which she has a lot of experience including with the Catholic Institute of Education (CIE). We wish her the best in her new role.
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Each donation counts and helps us make a valuable change in the lives of our learners.
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