Project 02/2018 YOUPSA Mobile Library and Book Club Projct

in the Eastern Cape, South Africa

In the new sponsorship year 2018 we would like to give more support to literacy projects in Africa. One of the projects we are planning to sponsor is the local education charity Youth Potential South Africa -YOUPSA, which is located in the Eastern Cape region.

YOUPSA helps to improve literacy in the disadvantaged rural villages and paves the way to awaken the creativity, potential and purpose in South African youth. They have so far started 6 Mobile Village Libraries, providing a platform for â€œVillage Book Clubsâ€ for young people to experience reading, learning, listening and discussing the various topics that they read about.

Each Mobile Library consists of a strong carrier bag containing 30 â€“ 35 beautiful and exciting books for all ages, plus a lending register. The Mobile Library can be taken from village to village, from home to home. From this the YOUPSA Village Book Clubs have arisen.

An important aspect of these Clubs is the focus on reading for enjoyment, allowing children to choose what they love to read. This gives children the opportunity and freedom to improve their literacy outside of school and also during holidays.Â

Young student mentors are engaged and lead the mobile library. They support their peers in developing literacy and act as inspiring role models for them by lending out books, leading book discussions and reading out loud to others. Sometimes during their visits they motivate new young people who become interested in becoming a mentor or a librarian themselves, and who then help to extend the idea of Mobile Village Libraries and keep the Book Clubs alive. They also learn to care for the book inventory. Mentors or librarians often become role models and gain respect in their villages.Â

Who YOUPSA is

Youth Potential South Africa - YOUPSA is a Non-Profit- and Public Benefit Organisation (NPO 156-968 / PBO 930051112), founded by Ray SchÃ¶ne und Alexis Salaman in 2015. â€œWe bring education alive by igniting the inner spark in youthâ€, says Ray SchÃ¶ne, one of the co-founders of YOUPSA. Ray and Alexis both have vast experience in charitable work in rural South Africa, Namibia and Kenya.

They partner with disadvantaged schools in remote rural areas in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa and impact students and their communities, school principals, teachers and School Governing Bodies (SGB). At present YOUPSA supports 6 schools in the Chalumna Area, Buffalo City Metro and elsewhere in the Eastern Cape, impacting over 2.000 students and their communities, 6 school principals, 85 teachers and 30 members of SGBs.Â

The Urgent Education Situation in the Eastern Cape region, South Africa

In rural areas of South Africa children experience extremely broken circumstances and are surrounded by numerous stressors that make it difficult for them to learn and thrive.Â

Poor academicÂ opportunity is aggravated by extreme adversities like poverty, malnutrition, sickness and violence. Adversity affects the young peoples ability to engage the world, make healthy life choices and be successful.

-Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â less than 10% of the children live with their biological mother

-Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 24,7% of all children in the Eastern Cape Province are orphans

-Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 60% of Grade 4 learners cannot read for meaning in any language

-Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â dropout rate of Grade 10 â€“ 12 in Eastern Cape Province is over 50%

-Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â the consequence is a high youth unemployment rate (33,7%) and little access to further education

-Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Eastern Cape pass rate for Grade 12 in 2016 was 59.3%, the worst in the country

-Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â the knowledge level of many rural teachers is very poor, especially in Maths

-Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â teachers are often absent from school, leaving students idle in classrooms

The 5 core programmes YOUPSA offers:

-Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Creative Youth Empowerment Programme

-Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Creative Teacher Empowerment Programme

-Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Leadership & Team-Building Programme for Students, Teachers and School Governing Bodies

-Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Words Can Change Worlds Literacy Programme â€“ the Mobile Village Libraries and Village Book Clubs

-Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Creating Health with Community Gardens Programme - training in health, nutrition and self-sustainability

YOUPSA Mobile Village and Libraries Book ClubsÂ

TheÂ Dieter & Bettina Wulkow foundation wishes to sponsor YOUPSAÂ´s "Words Can Change Worlds Literacy Programme", to provide youth access to books for reading, learning and education in rural areas of the Eastern Cape Province (see also introduction to this project).

YOUPSA intends to create more Village Book Clubs and extend this programme to more villages. Moreover, YOUPSA also plans to train 2 local volunteers from each village to become literacy champions. They also plan to train and support teachers at their partnering schools, to strengthen their teaching of language and literacy skills. The estimated annual budget for running one â€œMobile Village Library & Book Clubâ€ is approx. 39,000 South African Rand (see matrix) corresponding to approx. 2,400 â‚¬. Once-off costs for 1 Laptop with internet access (for teaching library management skills, online research and computer literacy, and watching educational videos) is approx. 20,000 Rand (1,250,--â‚¬).

Cost-Matrix:

This is the estimated annual budget for 1 Mobile Village Library & book Club

Â Description of costsÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Nature of costsÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Total amount

1. Programme expenses

Programme resourcesÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Books, book covers, book marks, book repairÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 9,265 R

Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Materials, registers, book bags, prizes, stationary

Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Materials, storage containers

TransportationÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Programme staff travel to & from 1 book club;Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 7,680 R

Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 1 return trip to club monthly (average 100 km return x

Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â AA rate

Quarterly training for teachersÂ Â Â Â Â Literacy & facilitation materials, printing, refreshmentsÂ Â Â Â Â Â 5,960 R

Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Transportation

Quarterly training for volunteersÂ Â Â Literacy & facilitation materials, printing, refreshmentsÂ Â Â Â Â Â 5,960 R

Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Transportation

PrintingÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Printing of facilitation materials & handoutsÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 1,000 R

Food and drinkÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Food and drink for average 25 participantsÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 9,000 R

Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â For monthly meeting

Total costsÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 38,865 RÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â

2. Once-off costs

1 LabtopÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â For teaching library management skills & computerÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 14,000 R

Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Literacy skills

Internet dataÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â to teach online research & watch educational videosÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 6,000 R

Total costsÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 20,000 RÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â

The Dieter & Bettina Wulkow Foundation is proud to support this project in partnership with YOUPSA.

Wetzlar, Germany November 18^th 2017

(Photos: all by YOUPSA, Hankey, Eastern cape, S.A. with the friendly consent of the attendees and the organization for usage)

Last information: In spring 2018 our foundation by a donation of 3,000 â‚¬ could support this project. We financed the continuing education of teachers on 2 Primary Schools in the area of Gamtoos Valley aswell 3 mobile librariens could be established and they allready have started (see also our news-messages dated 12.02.2018 and 24.05.2018).

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