Please view this short promotion ad for the Khanyisela Scholarship. Hope you enjoy!!
Archive for child sponsorship programs
Categories : African Children
Comments (0)
Posted by:
Anne Whiting
| Comments
(0)
Saturday,
August
28th,
2010
It’s often heard that any organization is only as strong as its leaders. Whether it is through the quiet, gentle style of servant leadership or the dynamic, energetic style of transformational leadership, leaders bear the responsibility for both sustaining the foundation of the organization and spurring its growth. And certainly nowhere is competent leadership more fundamental than in the non-profit field, where uniting people around a cause is so vital.
However, as we at the Khanyisela Scholarship continue to witness, the growth of this program can not be attributed to strong leadership alone. Instead, the credit for the development that the scholarship has seen over these past eight months goes largely to our supporters – those who have heard about the educational challenges faced by students living at St. Vincent Children’s Home and have been moved to respond in some way. For the prayerful, creative, and financial support that the Khanyisela Scholarship has received, we are extremely grateful.
One group of supporters deserves special thanks. The Missionary Sisters of the Precious Blood, an international religious community, has rallied around the cause from both sides of the Atlantic. In South Africa, the Sisters operate St. Vincent Children’s Home, the beneficiary of the Khanyisela Scholarship. The Sisters there have long advocated for accessible educational or employment opportunities for when the children age out of the orphanage. The Khanyisela Scholarship was designed in collaboration with the Sisters and staff of St. Vincent’s, and the result is a flourishing, sustainable program that appropriately meets the needs of children. In the United States and Canada, the Missionary Sisters of the Precious Blood, or CPS (the Latin name of the community is Congregatio Pretiosi Sanguinis) acts as the scholarship’s fiscal agent. This affiliation provides the Khanyisela Scholarship Program the benefits of being formally associated with a registered non-profit organization, including tax benefits to the scholarship’s donors.
The relationship between the Khanyisela Scholarship and CPS is far from a financial, or even organizational, nature, however. (That’s not to say it doesn’t help – with the assistance of the North American CPS Sisters, the scholarship is on its way to accepting online donations, so keep your eyes on this website!) In addition to tax benefits, the Sisters have given the scholarship their time and their prayers. Last weekend Rachel and I visited the Sisters at their convent in Shillington, PA. As we caught up with our long-time friends who live there, joined them in prayer, and found time for peaceful reflection in the still forests that surround their retreat center, we felt loved, supported, and deeply blessed. The Khanyisela Scholarship is stronger because of all that the Missionary Sisters of the Precious Blood show us: the enrichment of community, the power of prayer, and the divine spirit that has touched this project since its inception. So it is not, perhaps, the Khanyisela program’s leaders who move the project forward, nor even its supporters, but rather the grace of something larger than ourselves, something in us, and in everything, and everyone around us.
Technorati Tags: child sponsorship programs, Christian orphanage, Khanyisela scholarship, Missionary Sisters of the Precious Blood, scholarship South Africa, South African education
Categories : Khanyisela Blog
Comments (0)
Posted by:
Rachel Beggs
| Comments
(0)
Saturday,
August
14th,
2010
A specific way where adaptation to the social environment lacks for children raised in orphanages in South Africa is in the area of language and speech development of their native language or second language.
Development of communication skills is essential
Communication competence is fundamental in the growth of other significant areas of development and if frustrated can lead to an increase in long term difficulties in behavioural, social, cognitive, psychiatric, and academic competencies.[i] The term communicative competence is described as the process whereby,
“a normal child acquires knowledge of sentences, not only as grammatical, but also as appropriate. He or she acquires abilities as to when to speak, when not, and as to what to talk about with whom, when, where, and in what manner.”[ii]
A reason to suggest this lack of communicative competence is the quality of verbal interactions between the care-givers and the children. Due to the high care-giver to child ratio, such as 20:1 in some Romanian orphanages,[iii] low general education levels of staff, and minimal training in child care and development, often times verbal interaction and thereby modelling is limited.[iv] A specific model of responsiveness between communication partners includes:
Child-oriented responses (i.e. utterances that comment on the children’s plan of the moment), interaction-promoting responses (i.e. utterances that encourage children to engage in extended conversational turns), and language-modelling responses (i.e. utterances that expand or extend the semantic content of the children’s communicative attempts). [v]
A study completed in a South African orphanage found that care-giver interactions within these three areas were particularly inadequate. Partially due to cultural norms, care-givers do not regard children as communicative partners.[vi] For example care-givers often interrupt adult to adult conversation to regulate child behaviour by saying only the child’s name and with no follow up afterwards; children often take the initiative to communicate either verbally or non-verbally depending on their needs; care-givers often ignore this initiative or respond with only eye contact and very little verbal reply.[vii] As well care-givers do not change their speech pattern to accommodate the child’s developmental level and very rarely speak to infants or young children.[viii]
A milestone for communicative competence occurs between the ages of 9-12 months and is determined by the development of canonical babbling which are vocalizations such as yells, shrieks and some vowel and consonant-like sounds.[ix] This stage is an important indicator of later speech and language development.[x] However, in the case of the orphanage in South Africa it was perceived that the children between 9-12 months had neither developed canonical babbling or communicative intent and even those children 12-15 months had not yet developed canonical babbling and very few had limited communicative intent.[xi] In regards to the importance of development of communication competence in infants, the cultivation of connectedness between care-giver and child necessitates the interrelationship between the child and their “immediate social world and as their communicative competence develops, so too does their ability to connect with the wider social space.” [xii] This lack of verbal modelling on the part of child-care providers in South African orphanages inhibits the communicative abilities of the children being reared in these institutions.
[i] Levine, K. & Haines, S. (2007). Opportunities for the Development of Communicative Competence for Children in an Orphanage in South Africa. Child Care in Practice, 13 (3), 221-236. doi: 10.1080/13575270701353564
[ii] Brooks, B. (2001). An examination of the communicative and linguistic abilities of children adopted from Romanian orphanages. Retrieved from http://dspace.ucalgary.ca/bitstream/1880/41123/1/2001_Brooks.pdf
[iii] Brooks, B. (2001). An examination of the communicative and linguistic abilities of children adopted from Romanian orphanages. Retrieved from http://dspace.ucalgary.ca/bitstream/1880/41123/1/2001_Brooks.pdf
[iv] Levine, K. & Haines, S. (2007). Opportunities for the Development of Communicative Competence for Children in an Orphanage in South Africa. Child Care in Practice, 13 (3), 221-236. doi: 10.1080/13575270701353564
[v] Levine, K. & Haines, S. (2007). Opportunities for the Development of Communicative Competence for Children in an Orphanage in South Africa. Child Care in Practice, 13 (3), 221-236. doi: 10.1080/13575270701353564
[vi] Levine, K. & Haines, S. (2007). Opportunities for the Development of Communicative Competence for Children in an Orphanage in South Africa. Child Care in Practice, 13 (3), 221-236. doi: 10.1080/13575270701353564
[vii] Levine, K. & Haines, S. (2007). Opportunities for the Development of Communicative Competence for Children in an Orphanage in South Africa. Child Care in Practice, 13 (3), 221-236. doi: 10.1080/13575270701353564
[viii] Levine, K. & Haines, S. (2007). Opportunities for the Development of Communicative Competence for Children in an Orphanage in South Africa. Child Care in Practice, 13 (3), 221-236. doi: 10.1080/13575270701353564
[ix] Levine, K. & Haines, S. (2007). Opportunities for the Development of Communicative Competence for Children in an Orphanage in South Africa. Child Care in Practice, 13 (3), 221-236. doi: 10.1080/13575270701353564
[x] Levine, K. & Haines, S. (2007). Opportunities for the Development of Communicative Competence for Children in an Orphanage in South Africa. Child Care in Practice, 13 (3), 221-236. doi: 10.1080/13575270701353564
[xi] Levine, K. & Haines, S. (2007). Opportunities for the Development of Communicative Competence for Children in an Orphanage in South Africa. Child Care in Practice, 13 (3), 221-236. doi: 10.1080/13575270701353564
[xii] Levine, K. & Haines, S. (2007). Opportunities for the Development of Communicative Competence for Children in an Orphanage in South Africa. Child Care in Practice, 13 (3), 221-236. doi: 10.1080/13575270701353564
Technorati Tags: african children, child sponsorship programs, development of children in orphanages, Language development of orphans, social development of children, South African education, zulu child
Categories : African Children
Comments (0)
Posted by:
Rachel Beggs
| Comments
(0)
Wednesday,
August
11th,
2010
The results of poverty are changing the social fabric of many countries all over the world, especially in third world countries such as South Africa. The family unit (immediate or extended) is no longer capable of supporting the immense number of orphaned and vulnerable children. Many children and adolescents are being reared instead in institutional settings; mainly government or faith based orphanages. The orphanage facility does not provide adequate avenues for developmental growth of the children or adolescents being reared; achieving average developmental milestones within these institutions is severely hampered. There is a lack of development in the areas of social-emotional skills, communication, and cognitive ability. The effects of living in an orphanage are far reaching and may limit the ability to adapt to a “normal” life once the children become of age to leave the institution.
Attachment is a fundamental and critical process in the social and emotional development of any infant, and affects the future ability of establishing positive relationships. Attachment is described as the bonding experience between an infant and a parent or caregiver that is based on security, proximity, and safety.[i] This initial bonding experience impacts the infant as they proceed to grow and develop in their ability to create subsequent relationships and to develop coping skills and strategies to navigate the social world,[ii] mainly through the development of a primary trusting relationship.[iii] In the case of children being reared in institutions, secure attachments between child and care-giver is often times neglected for reasons of high child to care-giver ratios as well as limited education and implementation of strategies based on the healthy psychosocial development of the children in care.[iv]
Another factor which affects the social development of children raised in orphanages is the duration of time spent in the institution. Based on the research the percentage of reoccurring social and emotional issues of children in a Romanian orphanage reveals that the duration of stay within an institution increases the likelihood of maladaptive social behaviours.[v] Likewise in Africa, the longer the child is reared in an institutional setting the ties between themselves and their community begin to weaken.
In Africa, the community is a kind of “extended-extended family.” The close links of families, clans, and communities in sub-Saharan Africa make for an enduring resource. Compared with children raised in communities, those brought up in institutions are likely to have tenuous cultural, spiritual, and kinship ties with their families, clans, and communities. Kinship ties are especially important in Africa because they form the foundation for people’s sense of connectedness and continuity. They are the basis upon which are built the social, cultural, “all round life” skills for navigating the complexity of life on the continent.[vi]
Therefore, micro level attachment between a child and a primary care-giver and also macro level attachment between the child and the larger community are all very important links that are necessary for well developed social and emotional skills. These links for social development can best be explained by Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological systems theory which states that social ties to the immediate as well as the larger community steers a child’s development.[vii]
[i] Buchanan, T. G. (2004). The Impact of Attachment Theory on International Adoption. Retrieved from http://www3.dbu.edu
[ii] Buchanan, T. G. (2004). The Impact of Attachment Theory on International Adoption. Retrieved from http://www3.dbu.edu
[iii] Ateah, C.A., Kail, R.V., Cavanaugh, J.C. (2009). Human Development: A Life-Span View. Toronto, ON: Nelson.
[iv] Groark, C.J., Muhamedrahimov, R.J., Palmov, O.I., Nikiforova, N.V., McCall, R.B. (2005). Improvements in Early Care in Russian Orphanages and their Relationship to Observed Behaviours. Infant Mental Health Journal, 26 (2), 96-109.
[v] Kadlec, M.B., Cermak, S.A. (2002). Activity Level, Organization, and Social-Emotional Behaviours in Post-Institutionalized Children. Adoption Quarterly, 6 (2). Retrieved from http://sws1.bu.edu/cermak/pdfs/activelevel.pdf
[vi] Foster, G., Levine, C., & Williamson, J. (Eds.). (2005). A Generation at Risk. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.
[vii] Paquette, D. & Ryan, J. (2001). Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory. Retrieved March 16, 2010 from http://pt3.nl.edu/paquetteryanwebquest.pdf
Technorati Tags: african children, child sponsorship programs, development of children in orphanages, social development of children
Categories : Sponsor A South African Child
Comments (0)
Posted by:
Rachel Beggs
| Comments
(1)
Tuesday,
July
27th,
2010
Every week during my stay in South Africa I had the chance to take a stroll to St Vincent Children’s Home for a visit and some play time with the children.
South African Rock Games
There were several games played, but my favourite to remember included common stones and quick reflexes. Rock games are fun…if you have fast eye-hand co-ordination, but I learnt from the children of St Vincent’s that even if you don’t, the rules can be bent.
In the shade, on the pavement, I’m sitting with three other sets of sturdy legs and dusty bare feet that are adjusting and folding for a better advantage position. There is a scraggly, uneven circle drawn with a pebble, nature’s chalk, at the center of our group and each contestant is guarding a pile of rocks strategically placed next to her speedy draw hand.
Up goes a single stone, tossed at a practiced and calculated height and into the circle go the pile of rocks. The stone is caught, tossed up again and all the rocks in the centre are raked out, except one. The tossed stone lands victoriously back into the hand…hopefully. These four steps are all done with the same hand, no switching allowed. The single left over stone is collected as score. This game is very similar to “Jacks” but seems infinitely harder.
Hushed voices are remarking on the success of each attempt and all eyes are concentrated on the circle and stones.
It’s my turn…if I remember correctly Mario Cart was easier-do you have this? No. The toss up, hands frantically groping for rocks-do I look at the pile or the stone in the air? Stone landing-ooops-I thought my hand was faster than that. A second attempt; throwing the stone higher for more air time doesn’t produce desired results-I think I lost my stone over there somewhere.
I am trying again for good measure but still my hand is no better and just as clumsy. There are twinkles in the eyes watching me, a short decisive conversation amongst my contenders and a sudden shift in the game from throwing a stone up and catching it to throwing up an imaginary stone and pretending to catch it.
I am laughing in sheepish appreciation of such a gesture, especially because there are no questions as to whether or not the aces I’m playing with will or will not participate in this new variation. Around the circle each girl takes her turn moving the rocks in and out of the circle and pretends to throw and catch this other imaginary stone. The game continues on, now that the playing field is level for everyone involved. What helps me is good enough for everyone else too. An example of South African ubuntu.
Technorati Tags: africa charities, african children, child sponsorship programs, childrens charities, higher education for South Africans, mariannhill, orphans scholarship, south africa, zulu child
Categories : African Children
Comments (1)
Wednesday,
July
14th,
2010
Her Zulu name means strength. It could just as easily mean hope, though, or courage, or tenacity – all attributes that are immediately noticed as soon as she speaks. She is also a friend to many, a star pupil, and yes, even an aspiring lawyer.
Mandisa is one of the young teens living at St. Vincent Children’s Home, an orphanage in the small community of Mariannhill, South Africa. Tucked away in the far southwest corner of this missionary community, past the overflowing hospital, past the two elementary schools, past the historic convent, the children’s home lies along a narrow path that forms once the main road ends. The cluster of small brick buildings constructed by Trappist monks over a hundred years ago overlook a former cow pasture, and the congested cinderblock homes of Mpola township crowd the opposite hillside. The buildings of the orphanage form a cloistered square of wild grassy patches and a rickety swing set – a rudimentary, even primitive play space by our western standards, but likely the only place of comfort and safety that the children have ever known.
Like Mandisa, most of the children at St. Vincent’s come from KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa’s most impoverished province. Over half of the population in the province live on less than two dollars per day. Over a quarter of the people are infected with HIV, making KwaZulu-Natal among the hardest hit areas in the world by the AIDS pandemic. Devastated by poverty and by disease, the communities whose children end up at St. Vincent’s struggle to attain even the most basic needs. Without intervention such as employment, schooling, or an adopted family with greater resources, these are the communities to which the children will return when they reach the maximum age of eighteen years old at the orphanage.
So it was with a torn heart that I responded when Mandisa first confided to me her dreams of becoming a lawyer. “A lawyer!” I exclaimed, “you’ll make a great lawyer!” And the truth is, she would. She speaks better English that most of the other Zulu-speaking children at the orphanage, better even than probably the kids in the surrounding townships. Equally confident around children and adults, foreigners and South Africans, strangers and friends, Mandisa exudes a sense of vibrancy, maturity, compassion that make her both a leader and a friend. Yes, the question is not if Mandisa would make a great lawyer, but if she could. Lacking both financial means and a supportive environment that could encourage her through the process of continued education, Mandisa faces formidable challenges to pursuing her dream.
The Khanyisela Scholarship Program was created for the Mandisas of St. Vincent Children’s Home. The idea is not to just fulfill dreams, though (a noble pursuit, admittedly), but to affirm the potential of hidden, vulnerable children like Mandisa, and to present opportunities for them to reach that potential. And what is this potential? In Mandisa’s case, it’s law, the advocacy of justice and equal rights for the powerless members of her community. In other children’s cases, it might be medicine, or teaching, or politics, or any infinite way for them to lift up their families, their communities, and their country. Really, the potential is unlimited.
The Khanyisela Scholarship Program was created for the Mandisas of St. Vincent Children’s Home. The idea is not to just fulfill dreams, though (a noble pursuit, admittedly), but to affirm the potential of hidden, vulnerable children like Mandisa, and to present opportunities for them to reach that potential. And what is this potential? In Mandisa’s case, it’s law, the advocacy of justice and equal rights for the powerless members of her community. In other children’s cases, it might be medicine, or teaching, or politics, or any infinite way for them to lift up their families, their communities, and their country. Really, the potential is unlimited.
Technorati Tags: africa charities, african children, child sponsorship programs, childrens charities, orphans scholarship, zulu child
Categories : African Children
Comments (0)
Make a Difference In a Child’s Life
Help a child help themselves. Send them to school
Recent Posts
- Words from the Principal & Students of St Vincent’s in South Africa
- Khanyisela Newsletter 2011-Supporting South African Children’s Education
- Famous People Associated with Mariannhill Mission, South Africa
- Counting down to January 2012
- A Khanyisela Presentation
- Education Quality and the Cycle of Povery in South Africa
- Photos of South African Life
- Potential, opportunity and outliers: A story of South African students
- The Gift of South African Music
- Education in South Africa: How it works, and how it’s struggling
Helpful Links
Tags
africa charities
african children
African goddaughter
African orphanage
benefits of women's education
childrens charities
child sponsorship programs
Christian orphanage
Desmond Tutu
development of children in orphanages
education in South Africa
education of women
godmother to child in Africa
higher education for South Africans
Khanyisela scholarship
Language development of orphans
Mandela Day
mariannhill
Millennium Development Goals
Missionary Sisters of the Precious Blood
nelson mandela
orphans scholarship
Poetry of youth in South Africa
Political change in South Africa
resliency in African children
scholarship South Africa
social development of children
south africa
South African children
South African education
south african educational charities
south african history
south african national anthem
South African philosophy
South African poetry
South African students
South Africa public sector strike
South Africa Women's Day
St. Vincent Children's Home
Summit on the Millennium Development Goals
ubuntu
universal primary education
what is ubuntu
Women's Day
zulu child
| Help us spread the love. Follow our Khanyisela Facebook Page |
Help us spread the word. Place a banner on your website or blog. |
For as little as $25 you can make a difference. |
Khanyisela Scholarship Program
Copyright © 2012 All Rights Reserved | Privacy Policy
Copyright © 2012 All Rights Reserved | Privacy Policy