HIGHLIGHTS FROM OUR PROJECT PARTNERS IN 2021
With every new year comes a new beginning, taking what you learned in the previous year and building upon it is the key to having an even more prosperous year to come.
2021 was a year of recovery, of new outcomes and new expectations. A year where new ideas were birthed. We are so proud of our project partners and everything that has been achieved, so join us as we recap on their incredible work:
In 2019 Bulungula College opened its doors to grade 10 learners, prior to this there were no other high schools in the area or functioning scholar transportation.
As a result, 95% of the learners in the community were not able to complete grade 12 (an average of 6 children from the community received a Matric Certificate)
In 2021 it was announced that their first graduating class has passed 28 learners.
They managed to significantly improve vitamin A, deworming and immunization backlogs from 2020 and early 2021. They have also completed development milestone assessments with 100% of assessments completed and on track.
The Bulungula Incubator was nominated as the Daily Maverick’s Community Champion of the Year.
Kamvalethu supports both Liyabona Library and Protea Library in the former District Six area, Western Cape.
By the end of November 2021, learners checked out a total of 16437 books for the year ( an average of 21 books per learner/1 book checked out by each learner in the school every two weeks)
The Otto Foundation received the ATKV’s 2021 Veertjie Award for Reading Promotion.
The Practitioners have attended 4 Workshops between July–November 2021. The topics of these included: How to host a Parent Workshop; Sensorial Extensions; Stories of Change and Record-keeping, Independent Learning Plans and Reports.
There are seven children who are ready to graduate at the end of the year. They have all completed their mid-year School Readiness Assessments and the final assessments took place in November 2021. School readiness has increased from 85% in 2019 to 95% in 2021!
90% school attendance and 90% Parent workshop attendance (which is phenomenal!)
Pru Ramsey, a well-known South African Montessorian with 50 years of experience, visited Ncinci Ones Montessori in October 2021 and said,
“The little school with one of the best implementations of Montessori philosophy I’ve seen – children are so focused and purposeful and independent”
For many that aren’t aware, Kamvalethu has been working with First Children to establish a Wild Coast Montessori Network in the Eastern Cape for Montessori Preschools ( currently 5 in the network) These preschools can share training and learn from each other to promote the best practice.
By December 2021, all 5 preschools in the Wild Coast Montessori Network have the Centre Assessments rubric’s ‘minimum standards’.
The teacher’s attendance at workshops presented by the network has been excellent, these teachers have also been able to visit one another’s schools and share therefore further learnings.
All five preschools have finished their second round of paper-based School Readiness Assessments. The 65 graduating children showed improvement in their skills from the assessments done at the end of the previous reporting period.
School attendance was 82% for the year.
Four parent workshops were held in 2021, one in each term.
Teacher attendance was 98%, with health and family responsibility the main reasons for non-attendance. Teacher’s training and development was ongoing, with in-person Montessori training and networking facilitated by First Children, and first aid training facilitated by SCB.
All the 21 children who are old enough were assessed to be school-ready and will enroll in Grade 1 next year. Graduation was held on 8 December 2021.
The waiting list for the 21 openings in 2022 already consists of 64 names.
“TODAY IS THE OPPORTUNITY TO BUILD THE TOMORROW YOU WANT”
