...A SOUTH AFRICA EDUCATION PROJECT APPEAL
Reinforcing success: helping the best to be a beacon of light
It’s hard to believe that Grace School only started in 2003. From a couple of small buildings and 30 children, the school has grown in numbers to 480, and has nearly 20 teaching blocks, dormitories and other buildings. From one plot of land – itself a miracle - the school has grown to three campuses.
Very soon the school will be doubling in size again, to nearly 1000 pupils of all ages.
This growth has been achieved without any slackening of their commitment to quality. Grace regularly gets very high marks from government inspectors, and wins academic and sporting inter-school competitions across the region. The range of subjects taught has also expanded. Links have been formed with local businesses, colleges and universities, so that the children can move easily into work or higher education.
Grace has a strong Christian ethos, and seeks to transmit positive Christian values to each of the children in its care. Teams from Grace provide mentoring in character-building and good educational practice to several government schools in the area – and even into Zimbabwe.
Many of the children Grace serves come from very poor backgrounds. In their home areas alcoholism, crime and violence are widespread. Many young people are sucked into the growing political violence in South Africa. Grace School aims to give its pupils a different direction.
To continue to do this for ever-growing numbers of children, Grace School needs to continually improve its facilities.
Right now there is an urgent need to create a real school library, to enable children to have a better range of learning materials, and to introduce them to the best of literature from South Africa and the rest of the world. We aim to provide them with encyclopaedias, reference books, and books which the children can borrow. There will also be extensive online facilities. To do this we need some substantial new income for Grace School.
For the first phase of the library we need to raise £25,000.
Can you help?
A set of encyclopedias will cost about £1200. Other books are between £5 and £12 each. A computer with educational programming will cost around £600.
Your gift of any size will be most appreciated by pupils and teachers in South Africa.
HOW TO DONATE
Please use the Donate Now button below, or:-
Postal donations: Please make cheque payable to ‘WorldShare’. Add ‘Grace Library’ and your name & address to reverse of cheque, and mail to 'Freepost WORLDSHARE'. (You do not need to add any more text to the envelope, and no stamp is needed if sent from within UK. For our full postal address, click here .)
Credit Card Donation Line: (01302) 775245.
Thank you!
