South Africa: Education for refugee children
Terre des Hommes partner organization "Three2Six" offers a bridging school to children from refugee and migrant families, preparing them for attending a state school. For 16-year-old Amida, this is a dream come true.
“I will do my best to perform well here,” Amida says. “And I am very grateful to everyone who has supported me along the way.” Her deepest wish has already come true: Amida is attending Holy Family College in Johannesburg.
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For a 16-year-old, it might sound like a given, but for Amida, it's anything but. Her parents came to South Africa when she was a child. Like many other refugee and migrant families from Congo, Zimbabwe, or Uganda, they found shelter in Johannesburg's run-down city center. But without legal residency status, the families can't enroll their children in a regular school. Many girls and boys are thus denied their fundamental right to education. Amida was lucky; she got into the bridge school through the Three2Six program. "From then on, I always had support and something to eat," the girl says. "Or just someone to listen to me when there was trouble at home."
"I want to become a doctor. In my neighborhood, I see people every day who are not doing well. One day I want to help such people."
Preparation for state school
Around 300 children from the Observatory and Yeoville neighborhoods benefit from the project. In addition to classes at the bridge school, the boys and girls receive textbooks, notebooks, and school uniforms. Three2Six also covers registration fees and school bus fares – and underprivileged children receive a hot meal three times a week. After all, it's impossible to learn on an empty stomach.
A particularly positive development: graduates of the program often return to volunteer. Once a month, Three2Six organizes a day for schoolchildren with homework help, games, and sports. The alumni – almost all of whom have a high school diploma – serve as role models for many of the children, motivating them to seize their opportunities.
Mark Potterton, head of Three2Six, is impressed by his students' motivation: "The Corona pandemic hit families hard. Many parents struggled to earn money," says Potterton. "Despite this, the children continued to come to school. Their resilience gives me hope time and time again."