KAROO NEWS - Thanks to a display of community support and generosity, the Progressive Ikamva School, that caters for children with intellectual disabilities, received a much-needed financial boost that will help provide meals for its students during the winter holidays.
This school, located within the uMasizakhe settlement, operates in a building provided by the Methodist Church.
Teacher Andrew Hermans has been teaching the children since 2010 and oversees the education of children aged five to 18, with younger students attending in the morning and older ones in the afternoon.
The school faced difficulties in sourcing funding for meals, particularly during the past winter break, as many of its students come from underprivileged backgrounds and rely on the school not only for education but also for daily meals.
After extensive efforts to secure funding, the Department of Social Development recently stepped in to provide assistance. However, it was Alex Coggins and Jacques Hare who recognised the need to ensure that the children would have enough to eat during the holidays.
Both Coggins and Hare teach English to Chinese students online. Coggins shared the school's concerns with one of his students, and in a heart-warming response, the students shared their pocket money and their parents contributed funds.
Hare says that the Chinese children could not understand the South African school system and showed empathy and sympathy for IKamva.
This support was an immense blessing, providing enough resources to feed the children for four months. As the holidays approach, the responsibility of ensuring the children receive at least one daily meal falls on the ladies from the community who have been preparing food and contributing from their own pockets.
Hare and Adams have extended an invitation to anyone interested in getting involved to support this essential cause. "The big challenge we face now is to keep the children fed during the December and January holidays," says Hare. Progressive Ikamva Protective Workplace's NPO number is 158 350.
Should anyone wish to support Ikamva please send email to trinitysec@gmail.com or contact Hare on 067 302 2602.
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