Charities
in the Western Cape supported by the annual Nederburg Auction are increasingly
seeing the effects of critical skills development amongst poor and
disadvantaged youth in the region.
This was
revealed at the recent handover in Stellenbosch of proceeds from the Nederburg
Charity Auction to the three NGOs annually benefiting from South Africa’s
premier rare wine auction: The Anna
Foundation, The Pebbles Project
Trust and the Goedgedacht Trust.
The Anna
Foundation is providing academic, social and environmental support and
equipping children with skills for life long learning, and will be using its
funding for its “Reading, Running and Right-ing” programme in the Paarl, Franschhoek
and Stellenbosch areas. The Goedgedacht Trust has established a community
development centre to counter the effects of unemployment, alcohol abuse and
illiteracy among rural children and youth through a long-term “path-out-of-poverty”
programme.
At the
event, Pebbles Project founder and director Sophia Warner said the funds received
over the past three years have enabled the fund to develop a critical skills
development programme for its 250 after-school club learners. Funds were used
to train 21 staff members in helping the development of language,
communication, mathematical, physical, social, emotional and health skills
among the children. “We are really seeing the benefits of this programme in supporting the
children’s learning abilities in school,” she says. “During
the past year, the children’s school reports have been analysed, and there has
been an overall improvement in the learners’ mathematical and life skills
marks. Learners have also completed a standardised spelling and reading test
and these scores will be compared to the results of the same test in 2014 to
evaluate the effectiveness of the programme.”
Anna Brom, director of the Anna
Foundation, said drama activities offer particularly valuable opportunities for
experiential learning, and hence, the donation will be utilised to support the
Foundation’s drama-based life skills programme. Through this, children are
guided to not only learn to respect and accept the ‘rules of the game’ but to
gradually gain understanding about the bases for rules and boundaries. “Over
time such learning become transferable to other life situations, and helps
build their self confidence and self esteem. With a strong sense of self-worth,
a child will be better equipped to make positive life choices,” she says.
Distell social investment controller
Sonja Morkel commented: “ We want to see ourselves as part of this positive change amongst our
children and youth. We are excited to be part of projects that aim to
lead children on a path out of circumstances that might have otherwise seemed
impossible. We want to see them become confident young women and men who
can take their rightful place wherever they are. We do this by going back to
basics, empowering them with life skills and through this enable them to
make healthy choices in life.”
The Nederburg
Charity Auction, held in the auction hall at the close of the main auction on
the Saturday, is committed to supporting the pivotal role that all three
organisations play in uplifting young individuals who come from impoverished
communities.
Web: www.nederburgauction.co.za | Facebook: Nederburg Auction | Twitter: @NedAuc
Pictured: Back from left to right: Moira de Koker (NederburgAuction), Sonja Morket (Distell Social Investment Controller), Vernonde Vries (Director: Distell Corporate Affairs) Front from left to right: Ingride Lestrade (Goedgedacht Trust), Anna Brom (Anna Foundation), Sophia Warner (Pebbles Project Trust)