Community Development
Africa has very interesting community development opportunities. Volunteers from all over the world are working in community development positions all over Africa. Their main aims are to address issues like poverty, disaster, health, HIV/AIDS, hunger and development aid.
Street Children
The Joshua Project in Jeffreys Bay, South Africa is one of these projects who is supported by volunteers. This project work specifically with street kids. The Joshua Project is a safe haven for vulnerable children and children living on the street where they receive love, support, education, and training. Through consistent relationships and education-based programs, we seek to help these children to realize and develop their unique talents; to become healthy, responsible adults and a productive part of the work force and community; and most importantly, to discover their value as a child of God created for a specific purpose.
The project’s main focus is to ” M.E.N.D.” the children.
M=Mentor
E=Educate
N=Nurture
D=Disciple
Project Goals:
- To be an agent of restoration and instrumental in children’s emotional healing
- To teach these children skills and develop their individual gifts
- Nurturing these children
- To appeal to community churches, business and organisations to take serious interest in the spiritual health of the kids
- To teach and develop the children to become literate and successful in life
- Develop fully equipped staff and programs
- To see street children free from drug abuse
Between 40-60 children which include vulnerable children who either live on the street or spend most of their time on the street as well as at risk children from the Pellsrus community visit the project daily from Mondays to Fridays.
The tools we use to do this are:
Physical Care, Arts and Crafts
Education and Life Skills, Skills Training ABET
A nutricious breakfast and lunch is provided to all the chilren who are part of the educareprogram. We also give them the opportunity to take a shower and provide clean clothes.
Education and Life Skills
School is a normal thing most people go through when they’re young . People learn to read and write there and learn many other subjects. The kids of the Joshua Project school are 10-18 years of age and have never been to that kind of school, so sometimes they can’t read or write. This is not their only problem. “ We educate and train them so they can transfer to a regular high school or trade school. Some will attend only our school before they start to work. What a privilege to help these kids with the skills that will enable them to make their dreams come true. ”
Arts and Crafts
In the afternoons activities are organized for the children in the age of 6-15 who live in the community
a few activities are:
- drama
- music
- painting
- woodcraft
Skills Training
The goal is to give learners exposure to the different fields of trade such as carpentry, plumbing, painting, electrical and mechanics. The Joshua Project will not become another training center but only a stepping stone to guide learners from an unskilled position to a semi-skilled level. The goal is to identify learners and to show them basic skills and if they are interested, they can enter the formal trade schools.
The aim is to establish a Father-child relationship between the teacher and learner as they work together and learn together. So as a father teach his sons basic skills like using a hammer, changing tap washers, changing a tyre etc, the Joshua Project wants to teach the children basic skills and with that build relationships and trust and therefore developing the child’s character.
