Introducing our newest after-school programme

April 6, 2023

Above: Inspiring with creativity! We’re so excited to be sharing our life-changing arts curriculum with a new group of students. These are just some of the 80 learners in our Bertha House programme.

Late last year we were privileged to launch our newest Lalela after-school programme, in collaboration with Bertha House in Mowbray, Cape Town.

Bertha House is a space that resources activists, storytellers, educators, artists, and anyone committed to creating more just societies. With its coffee shop, multiple work spaces, and the exciting activities it offers, it’s become something of a hub in the community. “We’re honoured to be partnering with Bertha House to provide our educational arts programme to youths from the local high school,” says Firdous Hendricks, Lalela’s Executive Director. “Youth development is something we’re both passionate about.”

Starting off in the fourth quarter of 2022 with just a few curious learners from nearby Thandokhulu High School, the programme has taken off this year. By the end of the first term, there were over 80 learners signed up to Lalela!

We’re now running after-school workshops twice a week in a big, beautiful space at Bertha House, where the learners enjoy a proper meal before getting stuck into the curriculum activities. (Read more about Bertha House here.)

“Most of the learners from Thandokhulu High don’t live near the school and Bertha House, and travel in from various other parts of the city using public transport. Considering the long journeys on their daily commute to and from school, this makes their eagerness to attend the programme that much more rewarding, as it reflects the value they, along with their caregivers, find in Lalela,” says programme facilitator Rowan Roman.

“With the school having a strong focus on STEM education, the principal, after an introduction to the Lalela methodology and our impact, is very supportive and encourages his learners to attend the programme in the belief that it will stimulate their creativity and help develop them into young people who are STEAM empowered, all while promoting social cohesion and the blurring of barriers,” he says.

“We are very excited to continue this journey with the school and Bertha House, and cannot wait to see the programme go from strength to strength!”

Share this story with a friend...

DONATE TODAY

Your generosity makes it possible for Lalela’s educational arts programmes to create meaningful change that affects thousands of at-risk children in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Your generosity makes it possible for Lalela’s educational arts programmes to create meaningful change that affects thousands of at-risk children in Sub-Saharan Africa.

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER

2023-04-17T16:36:02+02:00
Go to Top