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Gift of the Givers

Local school reaches out to Somali victims

Wed, 14 Sep 2011 14:04

Anyone who has experienced the joy of improving another’s situation will recognise the truth in the old adage; “it is better to give than to receive”. This is a message the learners at Christel House South Africa (CHSA), a school that provides scholarships for disadvantaged children,have taken to heart, having recently reached out to help victims of the Somali crisis.

Christel House South Africa’s Marilyn Groep explains that the entire school joined forces to raise funds for a donation to Gift of the Givers. They also made sleeping bags to distribute amongst homeless refugees. The initiative formed part of the service learning component of the school’s curriculum, which sees Christel House learners contributing to a variety of community projects.

Groep says that the idea to create sleeping bags was inspired by Wendy Woolf, a teacher at the Cape Town-based school, who in turn learnt about the concept from the Claremont Rotary Club. The club also provided the plastic bags, which were used as inners for the sleeping bags. “The teachers spent a day learning how to fashion the bags before we set aside time during the school holidays for the learners to make them,” she reports, adding that the children joined in the project “with wholehearted enthusiasm”. “Some of them even made pillows, which they designed themselves.”

Groep was not surprised at this show of empathy.She points out that all of the children have come into contact with homeless people or people less fortunate than themselves, and this had encouraged them to make winter a little more bearable for their fellow human beings.

In the meantime, Foundation Phase learners made posters and banners to raise awareness of the Somali plight throughout the school. They also hosted a ‘civvies day’, donating any amount they could afford; even R2 donations were welcomed. They successfully raised R6 000, which was accepted with enormous appreciation by Gift of the Givers.

“What makes this contribution even more special is the fact that the children’s enthusiasm inspired the Christel House Board and staff to participate in the initiative, too,” comments Groep. She explains that the Board was moved to pledge a donation of R4 500, as well as several cans of tinned goods.“We are led by the philosophy of our founder, Christel DeHaan, who reminds our learners that we have a duty and an obligation to leave the world a better place than we found it,” Groep says.

Midge Hilton-Green, principal of Christel House’s junior school, agrees, noting that it is for this reason that service learning is an entrenched part of the school’s curriculum.

A crucial component of service learning is that the children are expected to learn about the communities they are helping, so that their contribution comes from the heart. For example, in the case of the Somali tragedy, learners were shown a presentation about the country. This provided a further opportunity to teach them about Africa and the challenges the continent faces.

“Our teachers are constantlylooking for ways for our learners to serve their community, from hosting ‘sarmiedays’ and ‘soup days’ to contributing vegetables for the children at the Zonnebloem Children’s Home,” Hilton-Green says. “Our goal is to instil an ethos of giving, so that our learners will continue to contribute to society even after the have left the school.” This is particularly important, he adds, since it is thanks to the kind donations of others that Christel House is able to provide them with an education.

“We hope to encourage Christel House learners to continue to do their bit for their communities and for those around them,” Groep concludes.

For more information about Christel House South Africa you can contact the school on 021 704 9400.