It’s been a long time since we’ve been able to keep you posted about the latest Masiphumelele news from Masicorp that truly reflects the inner workings of our organisation and the dedication of the team who continue to make our work possible.

Wherever you look these days there’s a sign for wearing a mask, a sign for practicing social distancing and a sign for sanitising your hands. It’s a whole new world out there for everyone.

What about education though? Even with the help of modern technology that provides solutions, with remote learning and support – does this really replace traditional structures that rely upon physical interaction in the classroom and even in the workplace?

Masiphumelele News from the Front Line 

“The biggest challenge of the past two years is that learners only come to school every second day. This means they only have half the number of English lessons with us. Morale is very low after 18 months of interrupted schooling. However, the learners are as sweet, friendly, and eager to learn as ever. This makes it all worthwhile.”

– Jane Futter – Masifunde Volunteer

People from communities like Masiphumelele do not always have access to the resources that we take for granted, therefore, most of our programmes rely on front line teaching methods. This has been an incredibly challenging time for us, yet once again we have proved that our determination and resilience in the face of adversity has helped us forge a path in these circumstances, for a new way of teaching and therefore learning.

“One of the most confusing things for the children is the constant changes to how we interact. Before Covid-19, we encouraged physical interaction and now it is out of the question with social distancing measures in place. We constantly adapt to find teaching methods that keep the children engaged and learning, while at the same time attending to their needs, as they may feel confused due to sudden changes in our behaviour.”

– Doiline Maisiri – Chasmay Educare (Principal)

“Repetition has always been part of our values at the Math’s Lab, but because of the disruptions and learners coming to school every other day, we’ve had to do repetition more than we’ve ever done before. During this time of Covid-19 we have been faced with the challenge of trying to ease the pressure on learners by keeping them engaged. I feel that they are not getting enough as they now only come once a week to the Math’s Lab where they practice more and have fun learning math.”

– Nokuthula Gomba – Math’s Lab Teacher

Become a Friend – Support Education

You can’t visit us in these challenging times, but you can support our work and help us continue with our mission. By becoming a Friend of Masicorp for only R150 P/M, you will be contributing to a legacy that will last a lifetime. 

Our new automatic monthly recurring donation ensures you give to a cause that will keep finding solutions to barriers that halts progress for people living in Masiphumelele.

For the latest Masiphumelele news in education and to see how Masicorp makes an impact on peoples lives and gives them the tools they need to conquer poverty, sign up for our blog here.

PS: Masicorp in collaboration with different.org has started a crowd-fundraiser for our Stay and Play project, which helps female informal creche owners with educational resources and support so they may care for children from the community. By sharing this initiative to Facebook or Twitter from this link: https://different.org/projects/masicorp/stay-play-helping-children-play-1396157259/ you instantly raise R5, which costs you nothing but affords children with quality education and a stepping-stone towards a brighter future.