Following the COVID-19 lockdowns, HELP recognised the significant impact on learners’ academic progress and social development. To address this, we introduced targeted support programmes at Harmony Primary School.
These include a morning one-on-one reading programme with volunteers, which has already improved reading levels, as well as the appointment of an experienced educator, Christelle Malan, a former Head of Department with over 30 years’ experience in similar communities.
HELP also reintroduced structured sport to the school. Kerry-Ann Voster, a Premier League-trained coach and referee, established U10, U12 and U14 soccer teams, bringing discipline, teamwork and renewed enthusiasm to learners who had previously had no access to organised sport.
HELP is reaching out to all South Africans, locally and abroad, to assist us in achieving our literacy and numeracy goal by donating. The price of educating and feeding one child at HELP equates to R 200.00 per month.
Quality-driven education programmes
…quality-driven education programs to help our learners achieve a high academic standard, combating the huge drop out in high school education. We enable and equip our learners with self-esteem and confidence to face the daily challenges of their social environment.
She's over 80 but looks about 60 and reads again and again with the children and also plays fun games with them.
Neville Sherman responded to an article about HELP in the Echo and has joined our HELP team much to the delight of us all. He is a retired principal from the UK and has extensive experience having also taught in Vietnam and Dubai. Neville comes three times a week and gets the rhythm going with the drumming and music and then art and acting. It is definitely the highlight of the week!
Rosemary has the patience of a saint when it comes to reading with a child who has difficulty reading and clear at explaining Maths.
Marie is our motherly volunteer who patiently sits with the children until they get what she’s explaining.
Imagine having a 17 month old son and giving birth to triplets! That is my favourite story to tell about our phenomenal trustee and volunteer Charlene Coosner who passed away from COVID in January 2021.
Charlene will forever be missed at HELP because she was such a loyal driving force and her commitment and dedication to HELP was remarkable. She was an integral part of HELP.
We can still “hear” Charlene’s voice across the HELP room saying “Does anyone want to change their library books?” She gave so much to HELP in so many ways and reminded us that while we, in a more advantaged situation, grew up hearing things like 1, 2, 3 and a, b, c and being read to every night as little children, many of our HELP children have not had that input in their lives and have had all kinds of hardships and traumas to deal with from a very young age.
Charlene was very focused on reading and would always sit with the weakest readers and listen to them read for hours. She would tell them stories about her own life, her children, now grown up, and her grandchildren. Charlene was a gifted story-teller. We have named our junior and senior libraries the Charlene Coosner Library in honour of all her wonderful contributions. There is now a fund in Charlene’s name that has been set up that will have prizes of books to the children who show the most improvement and perseverance in their reading.
Charlene told us so many stories about her life with her four children and her wonderfully supportive husband, Errol who was always consistent, honest and had sound advice and input. Charlene was clear on boundaries and while she was warm, loving and kind, she would not allow people to walk over her.
The energy, love and commitment that Charlene has given to HELP since the beginning of its inception in July 2010, have formed a very solid and reliable structure for us to work with the children and to build upon.
Charlene’s legacy will live with HELP as long as HELP is there – we have a deep gratitude and love for her contributions, experience and expertise. It is still difficult to believe that the HELP door will not open and Charlene will be standing there and make her way to her place ready to face whatever issues come her way.
May Charlene and her family always be blessed.
Address : 11 Oyster Bay, Capricorn, Muizenburg 7945, Western Cape, South Africa
Email : hope@help-eduprogramme.co.za
Contact Number : +27 063 656 9384
A homework programme four afternoons a week for disadvantaged children, helping them to understand and expand their knowledge in both reading and numeracy.
HELP DAILY PROGRAMME