Writing about wrongs: Kgebetli Moele examines men whose minds are 'completely decayed' in Untitled.
Education portfolio
Through its Education Portfolio, the Transnet Foundation runs two programmes that are building bridges and bright futures for the youth of South Africa. One programme provides extensive training and support for teachers whilst the other gives promising orphaned children access to quality education.
The Teacher Development Programme is implemented at selected schools. Target schools are selected in partnership with the relevant provincial Departments of Education. The Foundation then facilitates, sponsors, and monitors the implementation of the programme, which includes teacher training and development, the provision of resources, and providing learner support.
To date, 50 maths, science, and English teachers from 18 schools have been adopted by the Foundation and are benefitting from classroom support offered by experienced tutors. These tutors visit the schools at least four times a month to guide and support the teachers. Additionally, more than five thousand learners benefit from the holiday revision programmes funded by the Foundation.
The second initiative, the Orphaned Youth Education Programme, speaks to the learner side of the education cycle. Ten orphaned youths from KwaZulu-Natal, North West Province, and Mpumalanga were selected in 2012 for a seven-year programme. Through the programme, the Foundation sponsors their schooling in top-performing schools from Grades 10 to 12. This includes boarding fees, school amenities, clothing, a monthly allowance, and their tertiary education at universities throughout South Africa.
The orphans also attend enrichment camps as additional support to help them cope with their studies. Already, the selection process for ten additional youths has started. The new group will be assisted from Grade 8 until they complete their university education.
Socio-economic Infrastructure Development
The Socio-Economic Infrastructure Development portfolio of the Foundation transforms old freight containers into custom-made secure buildings to meet the needs of under-resourced communities. This initiative has already benefited more than 120 000 people following the construction of in excess of 30 structures.
“Not only are the containers recycled and given new life, but people no longer have to travel great distances to find secure infrastructure. Resourcefulness can mean the difference between living with hope or despair, and between contentment or the lack thereof,” says Cynthia Mgijima, head of the Foundation.
It has also partnered with the South African Police Service to use the containers to erect satellite police stations in areas critically impacted by crime or where security services are lacking.
“We have invested more than R27-million into the programme since 2001 and have built 19 satellite police stations and 14 multi-purpose centres. Added to this, 27 000 jobs have been created,” says Mgijima.
A similar partnership with the Department of Social Development has used refurbished containers to build a R1.1-million multi-purpose centre that now provides a range of social services to the communities around Nkomazi in Mpumalanga. Before the establishment of the centre, community members would have had to travel more than 60 kilometres for basic social services. The newly built multi-purpose centre gives them immediate access to four full-time staff and 15 voluntary social workers, trauma counselling, and welfare grant application assistance.
Health
The Foundation recognises the importance of giving community members access to quality healthcare. To this end, it established the Phelophepa Health Train, the world’s first primary healthcare hospital on wheels, in 1994.
Today, the custom built train boasts 18 fully refurbished and equipped coaches that provide health, oral and vision screening, basic health education awareness and community counselling workshops. Through on-board clinic services and community outreach programmes Phelophepa benefits more than 180 000 patients a year.
The success of the Phelophepa Health Train saw the launch of a second train in March 2012 in the Eastern Cape. With both trains operating simultaneously, the extended reach of the primary healthcare offering enables potentially 360 000 patients to receive healthcare they would not have had access to before. While the Health Trains can only stay in an area for a limited time, the goal is to supplement and support existing facilities to make sure the residents can continue benefitting from quality healthcare once the train has departed.
Before the train rolls into town, teams are sent out to alert the community of the days the train will be delivering services. Relationships are established with existing healthcare providers so that patients can be referred and continue to receive the care they need. While the train is in the area, screening and healthcare education are the primary concerns. Nursing teams visit local schools to screen children for health-related problems and educate them about basic healthcare.
The on-board pharmacy dispenses the necessary medication and the Foundation’s community outreach, led by the chief nurse, frequents schools and communities in the surrounding areas.
A special team of resident staff live on the train for its annual nine-month operational period. These dedicated healthcare professionals and support staff, together with the Foundation, manage the logistics and supervise a continuous stream of final-year students from leading academic institutions all over South Africa, who participate to gain invaluable practical experience for two weeks at a time.
Sport
The SAFA/Transnet Football School of Excellence and the Rural and Farm Schools Sport Development programme are the two flagship projects of the Foundation. These are designed to provide sporting opportunities to youth who fall outside of the target areas of traditional sporting bodies.
Approximately 120 boys have attended the SAFA/Transnet Football School of Excellence. In addition to academic and holistic life skills education, the boys are also given specialised training to develop their natural football talent. Previous students include Bernard Parker, Jabulani Shongwe and Keagan Dolly.