Small School Botswana - Kopong (Botswana)

Responsible on-site: Claudia Brendebach

In Botswana children receive essential knowledge in the pre school that are vital for the successful visit of a Primary School, comparably to a German elementary school.


Today in Botswana only children from economically well situated families can visit a pre school, because these schools are subject to charge. Orphans can mostly can not visit pre school, because they predominantly live in socially and economically underprivileged circumstances. Hence, already at the beginning of the Primary School they have an essential handicap.


Against this background Share-for-Smiles supports the organization Small School of Botswana. with the equipment of the pre school C&M Little Angels in Kopong.


Kopong is a community with approximately 9.000 inhabitants (as of 2011) located around 25 km north of the Botswana capital Gaborone. As throughout Botswana the village is heavily affected by the HIV pandemia. In Botswana 18,5 %(as of 2013) of the adults are infected by HIV, thus more than 60.000 children have lost their parents.


At present some 100 orphans live in Kopong, among them around half in the age from 2 to 6 years.


The pre school project shall achieve that orphans have equal educational opportunities. The project achieves this by combining the education of orphans  with the education of children having parents with middle-income. The pre school is designed for 75 children. The parents of  50 children will pay school fees, whereby the incurred cost, such as for teachers, lunch and teaching materials, are covered for the free school attendance  for further 25 orphans solidary.


Thus by this concept a sustainable and from donations independent operation of the facility is ensured.

  

www.kleineschulebotswana.de

 

 

 

With the calender sale revenue 2016 we will finance the completion of the pre-school, so that in January 2016 the first lessons can start.

Share-for-Smiles will adopt: 

  • The financing of the sanitation and the kitchen equipment,
  • The furnishing of 3 classrooms,
  • Furthermore the financing of the considerably acquisitions of the needed teaching materials and the pedagogical playing materials.


The children will be cared for throughout the day. Thus the family members of the substitude families, in which the orphans growing up, have better possibilities to hold down a job, and thereby improve their economic situation.

Besides the school basics natural history and environmental awareness will be focal points.

School operation is accomplished by 3 teachers, 3 assistant teachers and a cook. School manager (Claudia Brendebach) and deputy. school manager (Miriam Matshara) work voluntary.

The shell of the school building has already been completed, the school is intendedto open in January 2016 with 75 children. Share-for-Smiles e.V. was recommended as a partner to the association Kleine Schule Botswana e.V. by the German embassy in Botswana. Share-for-Smiles will promote the sanitary and kitchen equipment as well as the equipment of 3 classrooms and the educational material.

The persued inclusion approach which combines different social groups together, is considered unique in Botswana and gets also attention from the local government. Thus President Khama is expected to the opening of the preschool. ,

The commitment of Share-for-Smiles (SFS) is expressed by naming it as one of the main sponsors as well as designation of a children's group or a classroom for SFS. 

 

Opening of the C&A Little Angels Pre-School in Kopong/Botswana

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