Project 01/2021 Sponsorship of a cooperation project with YOUPSA in the Gamtoos Valley, Eastern Cape-South Africa

The Youth Potential South Africa - YOUPSA operates in the Gamtoos Valley, Eastern Cape Province in South Africa, impacting disadvantaged children and youth, their families and their communities. They are the only education non-profit organization in the area. The educational opportunities for children in the Gamtoos Valley are scare. The rural school prioritize rote learning, which leaves children without skills they need to become fully contributing members of the society.  Far too many young people in the area leave school each day and enter unsafe, violent neighborhoods and homes with no adult supervision. This leaves them at high risk of destructive and anti-social behavior including abusing alcohol and drugs, engaging sex and becoming involved in gangs, which threaten their future.

The "After-School Enrichment Program" in which we cooperate with Youpsa is the only place in this area where the children and youth can learn with fun, can be creative and express themselves freely and takes care for the a.m. arising problems. It awakes the creativity, potential and purpose of the children wherby Youpsa nurtures and grows literacy, social-emotional skills, problem solving, creative and critical thinking skills for disadvantaged children and youth, skills, that are neither developed in the schools nor in their communities.

The Dieter and Bettina Wulkow Foundation supports the weekly workshops and programs which take place on nearby farms or in their villages. The program contains a variety of personal development activities, arts, drama, team and leadership building, mathematic learning with fun, literacy skills and fun activities for body and mind. A healthy snack is served to every child each time. Both leaders of YOUPSA, Ray Schöne and Alexis Salaman are well experienced in teaching and in psychological skills. Both work for many years with disadvantaged children in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. The After-School Enrichment program is the second cooperation project in which we could take part with Youpsa.

Photos: with permission of YOUPSA and own by Dieter & Bettina Wulkow Foundation