Cyril Ramaphosa Foundation partner entity Adopt-a-School, which implements its Thari Programme, has recognised the contributions of a variety of role players at an awards ceremony on Friday, 1 December. It recognised their efforts to safeguard and support vulnerable learners and their families. 

Principals and members of school-based support teams (SBST) are in particular honoured for ensuring the success of the Thari programme.

"They are the first contact between the child and youth care workers and the project managers," says Banyana Mohajane, Adopt-a-School's executive of programmes.  

"SBSTs have played a key role in providing support to other educators and learners through consultation with child and youth care workers on case management, referrals and decisions regarding additional interventions within and outside the school to identify and address barriers to learning like violence and abuse," Mohajane adds. 

According to the foundation, their work has been valuable, and the project management team sees it worthy of showing appreciation for the difference that they have made within the schools. 

Violence at schools and at home, abuse, bullying, gangsterism, alcohol and substance abuse and teenage pregnancy are among some of the ills that plague many school communities, impacting learning outcomes and the well-being of children, says the foundation.

The Thari programme, now being implemented as an evidence-based model, came to a successful conclusion as a pilot in 2022 after being rolled out as a fully-fledged model across eight schools in Botshabelo in the Free State, according to the foundation. 

It responded to the deep-seated social issues affecting learners' education and was facilitated through three programme pillars:
  1. psychosocial support
  2. Safe Parks (after-school activities), and
  3. a multisectoral approach.

The foundation says that from 2017 to 2022, the programme provided over 1 221 learners and their families with these and ancillary support interventions.

The Thari Safe Park at Reentseng Primary School enables a secure afterschool space that children can visit for recreation and life skills development under the supervision of qualified CYCWs. More than 2 000 children have access to the Safe Park's services, which include:
  • homework supervision
  • reading
  • studying
  • listening to traditional stories, and
  • developmental games such as chess and Scrabble.

"As we commemorate 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children, Thari stands as a testament to successful interventions to establish safe and empowering environments free from violence and abuse for our children," says the foundation's CEO Mmabatho Maboya.

Maboya has praised the multistakeholder collaboration that proved the efficacy of the programme and has called for increased partnership and support commitments during the 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children for such programmes to be scaled up to reach many more schools and children countrywide.

"The Thari model shows that we can turn this ship of violence and abuse around," concludes Maboya. 

For more information, visit www.cyrilramaphosafoundation.org. You can also follow the Cyril Ramaphosa Foundation on Facebook or on X.