Tereo School Project - South Africa

One of our members husband is a member of Helderberg Sunrise Rotary as they spend part of each year in South Africa, so its a pleasure to be involved in a joint venture with them for this great project.

We have submitted a request for a District Grant to support part of this project and are hoping that there are others out there who would like to get involved themselves. If yes you can make your donations into our Charity Account and we will ensure it is used directly on this project. If you can Gift Aid your donation even better, just ask us to send you a form. Contact David Mann at dsmann50@msn.com 

Our Account details are: Rotary Club of Chestfield, 60-10-37, 13515799. Please use Reference; TEREO PROJECT.

Thank you

Below is a letter from Helderberg Sunrise President outlining the project in more detail.

The President

Rotary Club of Chestefield

Dear Mrs Pat Macfarlane,

Re: Funding for Tereo School NPO , Somerset West, South Africa.

A joint venture between Chestefield Rotary Club, Kent, UK and Helderberg Sunrise Rotary – Somerset West, South Africa for the upliftment of Tereo School NPO.

The CEO of Tereo School, is a member of Helderberg Sunrise Rotary Club (“HSRC”) based in Somerset West, South Africa. Tereo School is relocating to a new location as the current location is in the flood zone of the Lourens river. HSRC fully supports the project and would appreciate any support you can provide to us from the UK as we have supporters in the UK from previous projects we have undertaken. All monies will be  ringfenced, and via HSRC paid to Tereo.

Tereo School is a special purpose school started in 1999 for street children and children at risk in the Helderberg Basin, who for some social/traumatic event or circumstances, fell out of the formal education system or have never been part of it. Our website: www.tereo.org

Tereo School has one goal – to break the cycle of poverty caused by little or no education.

Tereo School mission:

Build resilient young people who realize their own potential and who work productively and fruitfully to contribute to their families and communities.

Give them an alternative to turning to crime or prostitution which so many are forced to do so due to circumstances.

The Educational Reality of the Helderberg, Western Cape, South Africa…

Tereo is situated in the Helderberg Basin, Western Cape, South Africa. The Helderberg basin forms part of the wine growing area of the Western Cape but tragically has communities which are riddled with illegal liquor and drug outlets where the abuse and rape of women and children is commonplace and death by physical assault an everyday occurrence. A significant portion of the population aged 20 and under has no education, while this area also has the highest proportion of adults over 20 who are unschooled. (URDR Study, University of Stellenbosch).

Poverty touches every aspect of a child’s life. The child born into poverty almost always remains trapped there unless significant interventions occur. Left unaided, impoverished children face a lifetime of physical and psychological trauma—illiteracy, malnutrition, disease, low self-esteem and lack of opportunity. These are among the root causes of poverty that Tereo School overcomes.

Tereo School’s Approach:

Tereo School’s holistic programme is designed to transform the lives of impoverished children. Our school embeds strong character development ethics throughout our programme which are complemented by professional health care, nutritious meals, psychosocial counselling, trauma support and family assistance through home visits and support. We focus on the whole child.

The school’s 3 Pillars of Success:

1.Innovative Education

2.Overcoming Adversity

3.Life Skills Development

This is an on-going project, with the provision of education in a safe structured environment, with small supportive classes and competent and qualified teachers being key to the success of Tereo School. Our success stories speak for themselves with the lives of over 1200 children being changed forever over the past 24 years.

Tereo has raised funds for the purchase of new school premises but needs to renovate these premises:

Funds will be used for:

1.Alterations and upgrade of administrative offices, staff and learner ablutions.

2.Upgrade of kitchen and dining facilities for learners. Due to extreme poverty, most learners have little or no access to food at home. 3 meals a day are provided to learners. As full tummies enable children to learn more effectively.

3.Renovate and equip:

Medical and Trauma Counselling Support Centre. Many of Tereo Learners are victims of violence, rape, drug and alcohol abuse with many of our learners placed with us through the family courts due to abuse and neglect.

Tereo have a full-time Child Protection & Welfare Officer who provides trauma counselling and support to help our learners cope with these challenges and ensure they can learn in a safe supportive environment; this includes Play Therapy. In severe cases, learners get additional counselling at school, with professional trauma psychologists. The provision of a safe, child centre trauma facility ensure that children can be equipped to overcome the challenges they face and contributes to fulfilling their potential and strengthening their resilience.

Computer Learning Centre. Tereo wants to ensure that not only do the children become computer literate and prepare them for the move to high school, but that technology starts forming part of their learning process and equips them for the 21st century. For most of our children this is their first encounter with a computer, as technology is often not available in their home environment.

School Library: For most of our learners there is little or no access to books or reading material at home so a library at school is a gateway to knowledge and culture. The resources and services they offer create opportunities for learning, support literacy and education, and help shape the new ideas and perspectives that are central to creative and innovative scholars. Even in the digital age, there is no substitute for books. They are the source of knowledge and are the most important aspect of our education.

Thank you for being part of this tremendous initiative in making a difference in the lives of so many young learners.

Yours sincerely

Jo Mostert

President

Helderberg Sunrise Rotary Club