We’re thrilled to welcome two UK volunteers, Phoebe Gane(23) from Leamington Spa, and Arthur Colquhoun (23) from Oxford. Over the last few weeks, Phoebe and Arthur have been actively involved in the daily activities in our Stay & Play programme and helping at the English and Maths Labs at Ukhanyo Primary School. Not only are they lending their skills on the ground, but they’re also raising funds for education through their Just Giving page.

Stay tuned for the “Masi May Bingo Challenge” they are launching next week!

Here’s a glimpse into their enriching experience with us:

“Since arriving in South Africa, we have both been in awe of its beauty, nature, and the warmth and kindness displayed by its people. However, we’ve also been deeply shocked by the legacy of colonialism and the apartheid, rooted in racial and spatial segregation, which continues to reinforce widespread inequality today.

The top 0.1% of society owns a quarter of all South African wealth. Only 7% of the South African population are white, yet own 72% of all land. These are just a couple of statistics that indicate why the World Bank named South Africa the “most unequal country in the world” in 2022.

Where this inequality is particularly evident is within South African townships, such as Masiphumelele (Masi). Built in the periphery of major towns and cities during the apartheid, they are often characterised by informal settlements, limited access to basic services, and extreme poverty. The children of Masi and other townships throughout South Africa therefore face limited access to education and employment opportunities.

This is where Masicorp comes in; for 25 years they have worked closely with the Masiphumelele community to set up education centres and multiple programmes for kids of all ages (pre-school to high school!). Masicorp work gives thousands of children access to better education and a greater chance to succeed in an unfair society.

Over the next month, we are going to be helping in their English and Maths Labs at Ukhanyo Primary School. These labs run daily lessons and after-school clubs to give children the opportunity to improve their maths and literacy skills. We have only been here for a short while and can already see the huge difference these programmes make to the children who attend them. The clubs are often oversubscribed, and the children plead to stay longer every day.

We want to help raise money and awareness for this life-changing organisation and the community of Masiphumelele. Over the next few weeks, we will organise and host weekly bingo competitions for the children, the inaugural “Masi May Bingo Challenge”. All questions will be related to numeracy or literacy skills and fun prizes will be up for grabs. We thought this would be a great way to create some more excitement for the learning labs by doing something a little bit different, and further improving participation across the year groups. 

On our fundraising page, we will also be sharing updates with photos/videos of the challenge throughout May. We’d love it if you could follow our journey and support the Masicorp cause by any means possible as we attempt to make a (small) difference during our time here. All money raised will be donated to the Masicorp organisation to help them carry on their invaluable work in Masiphumele.”

Help Arthur & Phoebe raise funds for Masicorp by donating on their Just Giving Page here

Contact us if you would like to find out more about volunteering for Education with Masicorp.