The Midlands Meander Education Project aims to encourage whole-school improvement, and with this in mind, responded to requests from educators for help in dealing with vulnerable children.
Educational outcomes in rural schools in South Africa are often very poor. Usually, poor infrastructure and poor teacher training are blamed for this. Another factor, in an area ravaged by the impact of HIV/AIDS, is the number of orphaned, abused or traumatised learners attending these schools. The demands of formal learning in already difficult circumstances are particularly challenging to anxious children and educational performance is likely to be affected. As traditional families break up, children become confused and vulnerable to abuse.
Using the excellent educational materials produced by the Living Values Foundation, the importance of Values is introduced to the children, encouraging them to deal respectfully with one another and making them better able to cope with the difficulties in their lives. Stories, role play, songs and dance are useful tools in getting the children to participate and share their stories. They also make posters by cutting words and pictures from magazines to represent the values they have learnt or paint wooden cut out letters to string together to spell the words.
Other lessons include “Healthy Food for our Bodies and our Planet” - where learners are guided in how to make appropriate choices, avoiding over processed and over packaged goods. Traditional knowledge of wild foods/imfino is gathered through simple surveys in the surrounding communities and proves a popular topic, particularly at lunchtime when a delicious “wild” meal is shared.
Working with many partners in the region, the MMAEP support programme aims to equip educators with the skills necessary to deal sensitively with these issues and to make schools emotionally safe places. Peace corners set up in each school provide a quiet place for learners to draw or write their feelings and cuddle a soft toy. Recently, a dedicated mobile phone for the children to use to call Childline free of charge has been introduced. The facilitator spends time listening to children and assists them to find the appropriate helping interventions with the relevant authority.
The MMAEP intends to help distressed children become contented, contributing members of the community.
Last modified: 26 December 2009
