Every child has the challenge of learning what they need to know about the world around them.
Even for those in quality schools, absorbing and remembering what is needed can be a big challenge.
But imagine struggling to get to school, only to find your teacher absent without a substitute. Often. Or being taught every day by a completely unqualified teacher.
You face challenges at home, too. Your one bedroom shack has a dirt floor and no table. Your (probably single) mother can't help you - she dropped out, too. She will often be working long hours to make ends meet.
You don't have access to books or the internet to help you.
Yet you still have to reach certain standards to pass the grade.
The math and science education in South Africa continually ranks in the bottom 5% of education systems worldwide.
Sadly, if the basics are missed, and they often are, most may never catch up. This leads to failing and dropping out, perpetuating the cycle of poverty.
Durbanville Community Church in South Africa is pastored by ITMI's Mark Parris. Out of this congregation has emerged a movement to reach and serve those in the Stone Hill township outside Durbanville.
ITMI's Charl van Wyk has been heavily involved as a leader and advocate.
After their years of interaction with the youth of the township, Mark and his church have identified breaking the negative cycle of poor education as a key opportunity to effect significant change in underdeveloped communities in the Western Cape, South Africa.
As the ministry has grown and relationships were built, they have been able to provide many positive things for the youth of this settlement, including activities, crafts and sports-training and coaching.
However, without some academic intervention, these youth will be unemployable due to their lack of basic skills. To break the cycle of poverty, they need to pass their exams. To do that, they need help overcoming the incredible odds that are stacked against them.
ITMI's Cindi Parris is leading an initiative by Durbanville Community Church and the Josiah Trust (a fund set up to benefit Stone Hill) to launch "school in a box" in Stone Hill.
Durbanville Community Church would like to set up a tutoring centre in Durbanville that can be used for Stone Hill and another underprivileged community nearby, Morning Star.
The center will provide an innovative way for underprivileged children to learn the basics of Mathematics, English and other subjects in order to pass their year level.
We would like to purchase "School in a Box" set for the tutoring center. For just under $7,000 USD, the center will have the entire school curriculum from grade 1- 12 using video lessons, examples to practice and quizzes which are personally monitored for each child.
"School in a Box" includes 25 tablets which connect via a wireless router.
In other communities where this system has been used, the students’ grades have improved dramatically, allowing them to pass their respective year levels and eventually be able to study after school.
The clinic and Early Childhood Development Center will provide a facility where an individual from the community can run an after-care center that can also provide tutoring every day.
The one-time cost of the school in a box is $6702.37 USD.
This includes the curriculum, initial licensing fee, 25 tablets, accessories, set up and training of volunteers.
On-going costs include a monthly technical support fee and a yearly license fee totaling $311.50 USD.
Cindi and some others have been offering tutoring every Saturday morning, and they've already seen marked improvements on the grades of those they are working with.
The school in a box tutoring center will expand the reach beyond the number of volunteers, and give more students the opportunity to daily learn what they need to grasp in order to pass their grade levels.
