Youth Day Webinar

Whilst under apartheid wide educational disparities were demarcated along racial lines, they still exist today for far too many children, albeit now reflecting the very unequal economic landscape of South Africa. A lack of investment into the education of South Africa's most poverty afflicted young people arguably does more to perpetuate the cycle of inter-generational poverty than any other single factor, to the detriment of the entire nation.

To commemorate Youth Day this year, at 12:00 (UK time, 1pm ZA time) on Tuesday, 15th June, the SA Chamber will be showcasing 3 very special charities who are helping young South Africans in various ways.

First, we'll be talking to Debbie Heustice and Nothile Ndwandwe of KHULA Education. Founded in 2007, KHULA Education works in 21 rural schools in KwaZulu-Natal, supporting 6,000 children and 200 teachers in Rorke’s Drift and Isandlwana. Their aim is to enhance the existing, locally provided government education by working with teachers, students and parents to offer a quality education from pre-school years through to graduation from high school.

Next, we will be talking to Alex Moss and Lynn Campbell of Help2Read, a charity which provides reading and writing materials and instruction to students in schools and communities where there are few books at home and libraries are scarce. Their programmes are delivered by volunteers, and are focussed on improving literacy in Primary School children.

Lastly, we will be talking to Carmen Stevens about her Foundation, which has identified that the most vulnerable children are at much higher risk of suffering from food insecurity as a result of the pandemic, and that not only can hungry children not learn well, their entire physical and mental development is compromised without proper nutrition. We'll hear from her how the Carmen Stevens Foundation has been providing meals to thousands of children, and the positive impact that this has had on their ability to learn and play.

Watch the replay below: