Ka-Ching! Foundation and Ikamva Youth

The Ka-Ching! Foundation was approached by Ikamva youth with the following letter,

"It is thanks to generous support of our work in providing for the holiday programme that 150 disadvantaged youths from Khayelitsha and Nyanga are able to participate fully in supplementary tutoring, career guidance mentoring, life skills workshops, entrepreneurship education, computer literacy training, art workshops, documentary making and a photography project.

IkamvaYouth operates without core funding, and every person involved at every level of the organisation is a volunteer. It is only through donations that we are able to provide a quality service to disadvantaged youth, and enable them to realise their potential. Last year IkamvaYouth achieved a 90% pass rate, and 62% of last year's grade 12's are currently enrolled in tertiary education, and many have returned to the organisation as volunteers.

IkamvaYouth has an upcoming event with which we are hoping that you will be able to assist us. The July holidays are the last chance for learners to get some intensive studying done before the final exams. IkamvaYouth will be offering supplementary tutoring during the holidays, from 9am to 5pm. Offering lunch to our learners during this crucial time is imperative for ensuring that they are able to concentrate on their studies all day.

We would appreciate any contribution that may be beneficial to the programme.

Many thanks and kind regards,
IkamvaYouth

Some more about Ikamva:
IkamvaYouth is a by-youth, for-youth community-based non-profit organisation that drives social change in South Africa by enabling disadvantaged youth to access post-school opportunities in tertiary education and job-based training.

Based at the Nazeema Isaacs library in Makhaza, Khayelitsha, and the Nyanga library, we work with learners in grades 10 to 12.

The project is driven completely by the commitment, enthusiasm and creativity of the ikamvanites (volunteers and learners). Our volunteers are a diverse and amazing bunch: students from UCT, CPUT, UWC and Rosebank college, unemployed graduates, and young professionals working in NGOs, government and the private sector. Forty to fifty percent of our current volunteer base comprises ex-learners. This, together with our high success rate, is a striking indicator that our work is highly valued by our beneficiaries. It is owing to the great need for what we do and the fun we have doing it that Ikamva has been in existence since 2003 without funding."

Well it is early days, but I have been adding my five cents worth to the Ikamva cause. So far I am most impressed with the calibre of student I am talking to. They are impressive students - some of them want to study medicine, computer science, and land surveying. They are eager to learn, attentive and hungry for information.

I have only two sessions with each group over the next two weeks which seems hardly enough to cover the interesting subject of entrepreneurship. So what I am going to do is keep the feedback going by adding another string to the Ka-Ching! Blog and invite you and the students to stay in touch. I will add more pictures and anything interesting as it comes along.

Chat soon,
Gregory Bunyard