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ALUMNI NEWSLETTER MARCH 2020

A SUCCESSFUL BERTIE LUBNER LEGACY WEEK 2020

The Bertie Lubner Legacy Week continues to inspire young people to follow in the footsteps of this philanthropic giant, whose legacy still echoes in our hearts. Once again, the Alumni Network organized vibrant and educational events at all our centres.

We had over 100 volunteers eager to give their time to local organizations and schools participating in the Legacy Week. Among these were Childline, Autism South Africa and Ithlokomeleng Old Age Home.

As is the custom, the week kicked off with the launch of the Legacy Museums, curated exhibitions of the life and times of Bertie Lubner. This served as an important reminder of the difficult social context within which Bertie Lubner sought to make change. It’s no wonder his incredible achievements continue to motivate our young people. This year, our members got busy with community service, painting, cleaning the centres and preparing food for our elderly.

The entire week was an unforgettable movement, providing an opportunity for our members to give back in the spirit of responsible kindness.

PROTECT YOURSELF AND OTHERS
AGAINST COVID-19

COVID-19 is an infectious disease caused by a newly-discovered coronavirus. There is a still a lot we don’t know about it. Some symptoms of the flu and COVID-19 are similar such as a cough and fever but COVID-19 is more infectious. No vaccine has yet been discovered.

Suggestions to protect yourself and others from COVID-19

For more information and confidential advice on COVID-19 and related health matters, contact your Zinakekele Employee Health and Wellness Programme on 0800 611 169.

WE WELCOME A NEW
ALUMNI NETWORK CONSTITUENCY

Afrika Tikkun adds a new 13-member constituency stationed at our headquarters in Hyde Park.

We welcome the following members of this committee:

President: Nkuluko Xaba, Vice President: Kholofelo Kekana, Secretary: Malebo Mashego, Vice Secretary: Simesihle Dlamini, Organizer: Junior Ncube, and Vice Organizer: Errol Khosa.  

WE WANT YOU ! AFRIKA TIKKUN SERVICES RECRUITMENT

We have exciting learnerships, work experience/placement and specialized training opportunities for candidates who are unemployed or not placed anywhere within Afrika Tikkun.

If you are interested, please make an appointment for your assessment by contacting Lungisani at lungisanim@afrikatikkun.org

REGISTER ONLINE: AFRIKA TIKKUN ALUMNI NETWORK

To register to become a full member of the Afrika Tikkun Alumni Network, please click on the link below. This requires an internet connection. Looking forward to having you as our member. Register here: https://bit.ly/2JcorHx

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THE POWER OF CONNECTION

Afrika Tikkun gets massive Internet upgrade from Workonline Communications boosting connectivity for thousands of learners across the country

Workonline Communications, a pan-African, global Network Service Provider, has radically increased its long-term commitment to providing Internet facilities to Afrika Tikkun Centres of Excellence across South Africa.  The five centres, which benefit over nine thousand young people, will receive an impressive connectivity upgrade thanks to the commitment of the Workonline team, bringing them in line with world-class academic institutions.

Workonline Communications has been generously providing Internet connectivity to all five centres since 2016.  The upgrade, which requires some intricate logistics considering the location of the centres, will significantly improve the Internet speed and educational experience of the youth who attend the centres.

Although Workonline doesn’t provide commercial enterprise services in its usual course of business, the leadership of Afrika Tikkun, under direction of the Lubner family, as well as Edward Lawrence and Ben Maddison who founded Workonline Communications, both share a commitment to excellence and a passion for helping South Africa become a world-class nation worthy of all who live in it.

 Afrika Tikkun Centres of Excellence are little worlds unto themselves; vibrant spaces where information relating to education, skills, careers and life is shared. Aware that the kids of today live in a world increasingly characterised by digital interconnectedness, Afrika Tikkun’s centres also attempt to carve out technological hubs where information is just a click away.

To meet the needs of an adapting generation, Afrika Tikkun’s Cradle to Career 360° model includes the use of computer labs and multi-media rooms that are integral resources for those in the Children and Youth Development Programme (CYD) and Career Development Programme (CDP) respectively. However, their efforts to transform their centres into spaces that truly reflect 21st century technological efficiency has not always matched their vision, largely due to limited bandwidth. This has compromised the ability of their young people to access and share information quickly, explore the potential of innovation and participate fully in local and global communication platforms. Poor bandwidth has also impacted the running of the centres more broadly.

The growing partnership between Afrika Tikkun and Workonline Communications has addressed this and will undoubtedly have a significant and positive impact on Afrika Tikkun’s young people and the South African economy.

Although, admittedly, connecting the centres at such high speeds has been a challenge for the Workonline team due to the physical locations of the centres, we have worked tirelessly and persevered to ultimately achieve the desired result. Through this extension of the partnership, the quality of the Internet service at Afrika Tikkun’s centres will be on par with other leading academic institutions in the world.

CEO of Afrika Tikkun Services, Onyi Nwaneri says, “The expected changes we anticipate with this upgrade will make the lives of our children and young people so much better, which is our goal. For some time, our centres have been unable to utilise certain equipment as a result of slow Internet connectivity. The generosity of Workonline will certainly change this and the potential impact of utilising a full complement of equipment in a centre is an exciting unknown”.

Instead of having to divide and rotate the time allocated for Internet use between different groups, more children will be able to use the equipment at the same time. The accelerated Internet speed will allow for broader and more efficient online searches, enriching the learning experience and improving learning outcomes. This will also allow for further implementation of e-learning skills programmes that will improve the ability of young people to increase their skills, search for jobs and potentially transition to employment or self-employment. At the level of centre management, better internet connectivity will ensure administrative tasks and communication are streamlined.

“Access to the Internet is such an incredible enabler,” says Edward Lawrence, co-founder and director of Workonline Communications. “In fact, most of the academic knowledge I have today I have learnt from having access to the Internet! The Workonline team’s commitment to continuously improving the Internet experience across communities in South Africa, and indeed across sub-Saharan Africa, is based on this premise.  Our partnership with Afrika Tikkun allows us to play a small part in helping communities to share skills, best practice and training and ultimately, extend the incredible impact that Afrika Tikkun already has on the South African economy.”

It remains undeniable that organisations must develop their capacity to operate effectively in a digital space. Our children, the majority of whom make up Generation Z or post-millennials, must be equipped with the skills to engage effectively in the cyber environment, draw as much helpful information as possible, and connect with like minds across the country, region and world. Afrika Tikkun and Workonline are about to make this happen.

For all your digital and connectivity needs, visit www.workonline.africa.

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Why are human rights important to me – A view of Tumisang from Orange Farm

My name is Tumisang Mohoto, and I am a 17-year-old boy from Orange Farm. Human rights are basic principles that secure me from injustice, oppression and inequality. Through human rights we become better people, who do things at their fullest potential with no fear of facing injustices such as nepotism nor racism. These principles allow me to cherish the greatness of my own country, with no fear of being judged because of my physical appearance. They instill a sense of faith in me that no matter how young am I, I am obliged to make this world a better place.

In my neighborhood, ignorance towards human rights has become the greatest challenge. The right to health has been highly violated by our health practitioners. An ordinary Orange Farm person does not come back satisfied from the health facilities. Furthermore, our rights to a healthy environment are highly infringed, as it has become a norm that people we consider to be role models smoke in front of us. Yet, we have accepted such conditions because in the world in which we live, we often have no say towards the actions of ‘the grownups’. The right to freedom of expression has also been greatly undermined, as young girls have to be constantly alert and careful out of fear of being sexually harassed.

However, there is still a sense of hope in our community. We are blessed with organizations such as Afrika Tikkun which cherish the significance of human rights, predominantly of those living with disabilities. Child protection secures the rights of a young person from being infringed. Both child protection and human rights secure humanity against situations of oppression or injustice. 

A lot still needs to be done to ensure that human rights are secured. We can support the efforts with our dedication and determination. People need to rise up and educate one another about human rights. This is not only the duty of the authority as leaders can be influenced by money and corruption. Education, however, leaves an impact that lasts forever.

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Pretty Chaboyo Lehong

A young woman empowered 

Pretty Chaboyo Lehong, 27, was looking forward to immersing herself in the job market after graduating from her mechanical engineering course. But instead, she was met with the bleak reality of unemployment. At the time, Pretty was also struggling in an abusive relationship. When the abuse became too much, she sought help at Afrika Tikkun’s Wings of Life center in Diepsloot. Mr. Makwena, the centre’s social worker was very supportive and together they established a personal development plan which included Pretty joining the Career Development and Placement (CDP) programme. 

Life was not easy for Pretty and she did all she could to get things back on track. For some time, she depended on Afrika Tikkun’s food parcels and other donations to stay afloat. Upon completing the CDP programme, she joined Afrika Tikkun’s Alumni Programme  and she was appointed its vice-president. Towards the end of 2019, she also joined the Youth Employment Service (YES) Programme. Pretty currently works as the Alumni’s Network Coordinator and continues to hone her leadership skills, particularly when organising the Alumni camps. 

Reflecting on highlights from her journey with Afrika Tikkun, Pretty said, “gender sensitization helped me deal with my previous relationship. I became part of the Young Urban Women and Men campaign which teaches and encourages young people not to stay in abusive relationships.” She has since regained her confidence, so much so that a childhood dream of becoming a lawyer is within reach. Thanks to the stipend Pretty receives from Afrika Tikkun, she is able to study part-time for an LLB through UNISA. 

Pretty is testament of what belief, hard work and the right kind of support can do. We look forward to the next chapter of her life!