The Elgin Learning Foundation (ELF) opened its doors in 1996. This was the result of visionary thinking of a group of people who saw ELF as a vehicle to support and empower farm workers in the Elgin Valley through skills training programmes. Seed funding was procured through the Wright memorial trust. As this initiative gained momentum, basic training programmes developed to include the farm worker family as an integrated unit and to provide interventions that address challenges poor people face in a holistic way.
What has happened since 1996 can only be described as a small miracle. Whereas the organisation started with 8 staff members, the staff compliment has grown to 150 plus and more than 50 projects that run at any given time. The organisation has become a household name in the Elgin Valley and elsewhere in the country where we work. Our interventions have reached communities in the deep rural area of Namaqualand, the Northern Cape, Gauteng and Kwazulu Natal.
Apart from being active in various development projects and services, ELF’s core activity is accredited skills training through our Section 21, private FET college, the Elgin Community College.
We offer accredited training in health and social care, small business development and entrepreneurship, early childhood development, ABET, agriculture and technical trades such as bricklaying, masonry and carpentry.
More recently the Elgin Learning Foundation has formed a partnership with the Development Bank of South Africa and the Theewaterskloof Municipality with regard to being part of the Grabouw Sustainable Development initiative. ELF has adopted a green ethos which will be integrated into all ELF activities and programmes.
ELF operates from two campuses. Our main campus is found in the orchards and vineyards of Elgin and houses the departments Agriculture, Health and Social Welfare, Education, Knowledge and Quality Management. All matters financial and administrative are managed from this campus. The Occupational Trades Campus is situated in the village of Grabouw where the departments of Small Business Development and Technical Trades reside.
What do we do?
We work in rural and urban communities where people are trapped in a perpetual cycle of poverty and unemployment with the appalling social ills that we have come to know… substance abuse, family violence, child abuse, disease and crime … amongst others. So we approach our work in an integrated way with interventions that are multi-dimensional and address the complex challenges poor people face on a daily basis.
Core business at ELF is concentrated on accredited training, project management and services in Education, Health, Social Development and ICT. ELF interventions happen in the Overberg and beyond, even as far as the Northern Cape.
All our programmes are in the context of the situation/environment where we work. This requires engaging with the communities through participative research, analysis of the situation, environmental scans as well as multi-stakeholder processes. This approach helps us plan our programmes to ensure that our interventions are relevant and aligned to the reality on the ground in the communities where we work. It is essential to get the buy-in of programme participants and to secure ownership of the programmes.
ELF programmes and projects are planned in a participative way. We acknowledge that participants and beneficiaries in our programmes are leaders and thinkers in their own right and come to us with knowledge and wisdom that we cannot risk losing.
True to the integrated approach we have at ELF, we are very serious about the well being of the family unit in our communities. We have a huge component of integrated Health and Social programmes that address the total well being of the entire family. These include health and social care, lay counselling, health promotion in schools, peer education, life skills and others. We have various outreach programmes that enrich the lives of farm worker families. An example is our Rural Schools project which brings music and art as well as sports activities such as swimming to disadvantages rural children. A mobile library goes out on a weekly basis to rural primary schools to improve the reading literacy rates.
A total onslaught to reduce unemployment and under-employment has always been at the forefront of our work. Training programmes at ELF are continuously developed and adjusted so that the training product that we offer adds real value to and is appropriate for the job market.
The quest to help previously disadvantaged students to become employable requires that we address educational gaps which learners face and which are preventing them to be competitive in the job market. We work very hard to improve fundamental skills such as numeracy and literacy. We also assist those students who have dropped out of formal education to come back into the system through our night school which offers Further Education and Training (FET) interventions up to matric.
ELF acknowledges the priority national government has placed on Early Childhood Development (ECD) and offers training and mentoring for ECD practitioners. We also work in partnership with other NGOs to streamline and upgrade ECD services and facilities in the communities where we work.
In a job market that is highly competitive we are increasingly finding that we have to offer so-called sustainability skills such as business communication, financial, computer and information literacy. Our research and that of others have shown that access to appropriate information is vital for development, thus we are increasing our emphasis on community information services and information literacy.
The green revolution that is sweeping the world is impacting on the way we approach our work and in 2009 we started incorporating an ethos of sustainable development in all that we do. Research has started on the integration of sustainable development components in all our programmes. This research will lead to a more comprehensive research and development function for ELF which has the objective of building a sound knowledge base to support development in the Overberg.
Lastly, to ensure that what we do at ELF is appropriate and has impact in the communities where we work, we monitor, evaluate and quality manage our training and development programmes and projects on a continuous basis to keep on improving our services and be true to our vision.
www.elginlearning.org.za

Autism Western Cape (previously the Society for Autistic Children) was founded in 1967 and is a non-discriminating, non-profit organization focused on the needs of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders and their parents and caregivers. We strive to increase public awareness and understanding of Autism Spectrum Disorders. We are focused on provision of support, counselling and advisory services, early intervention awareness, advocacy, training, capacity building and skills transfer for parents, caregivers, teachers, Early Childhood Development practitioners and other professionals. We offer post diagnosis counselling and workshops to parents whose children have been diagnosed with Autism as well as support, information and advisory services to anyone who requires them.
Autistic Spectrum Disorder is a neurological disorder that affects the normal functioning of the brain and impacts on the development of social interaction and communication skills. Symptoms are present before the age of three. Autism is a lifelong developmental disorder that changes over the lifespan. Autism is found throughout the world, and affects all population groups equally across social class and ethnic differences. Four times as many boys as girls are diagnosed with autism. The number of children being diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder has increased significantly. The Department of Health reported an estimated 500% increase in the diagnosis in the Western Cape, with on average ten children being diagnosed at State Hospitals on a weekly basis. This excludes children who are being diagnosed in private practice.
Global statistics confirm that one in 88 children are affected by Autism, which suggests that there are many other children and families living with this disability in the Western Cape. Currently there are only two Autism specific educational facilities and five LSEN schools with autism specific units within their schools, which together accommodate less than 300 children. There are long waiting lists for all of these facilities and it can take several years from diagnosis to get a placement.
Autism Western Cape runs an established family support and advisory service at the Neuro-developmental Clinics at Red Cross Children’s and Tygerberg Hospitals. Parents are offered post-diagnosis support, advice and counseling as well as given brochures and information. Their details are also captured in our database for later invitation to the various workshops we offer. Working in partnership with the Department of Social Development, Autism Western Cape offers a programme of “Diagnosis What Now?” workshops for parents when they first receive the diagnosis and have been referred to the placement waiting lists. We also offer counseling and play therapy training at our resource centre in Mowbray. Here, clients can receive counseling in a calm, safe and quiet environment which we have found to be beneficial for both the parents/caregivers and the children. Despite our best efforts, our organisation is facing human resource and financial constraints which are inhibiting our efforts to reach all the areas that we are supposed to service. We also have an outreach programme in Khayelitsha which offers support and assistance to the families in the surrounding area. Every second week, we hold a workshop for parents and educators on various topics such as teaching danger, toilet training, sensory issues etc. We also run a support group every two weeks for existing and new parents.
www.autismwesterncape.org.za

The Organ Donor Foundation (ODF) is a non-profit charity established in 1988 with the aim of addressing the critical shortage of organ and tissue donors in South Africa. As the national umbrella body for the promotion of organ and tissue donation, the ODF is actively involved in educational and publicity programmes directed at the public and the medical profession.
Currently there are over 4,000 adults and children awaiting organ & cornea transplants in South Africa. Tragically less than 600 people will this year receive a transplant and the “Gift of Life” due to this critical shortage. Many adults and children die waiting for a transplant or have to undergo dialysis treatment for many years while on the waiting list. Only through regular awareness initiatives can we reduce this tragic statistic.
2013 is a very important year for the Organ Donor Foundation. August is Organ Donor month and this year we aim to sign up 50,000 new organ donors. In South Africa there are less than 0.1% of the population who are registered organ donors. Our long term vision is to sign up 500,000 donors by the end of 2017 – this will translate to 1% of the South African population. If compared to other countries such as the USA, who have 37% of their population as registered organ donors and Australia who have 24% of their population as registered organ donors – we must admit that this is an extremely shocking and low statistic for South Africa.
Our mission statement is clear. It is the driving force behind everything we do:
To educate the public about organ donation.
To significantly increase the number of organs donated in South Africa.
To increase awareness about organ donation among the medical and paramedical professions.
To improve donor identification and organ procurement programmes.
To ensure that South Africa remains a centre of excellence for organ transplantation.
We are guided in our daily work by the need to meet and exceed these aims and objectives:
To build a foundation of public trust and confidence, and to instil a willingness and enthusiasm in all South Africans to offer the gift of life through organ donation.
To offer every South African the opportunity and the right to receive direct education about organ donation.
To educate the public and especially the medical fraternity through the mass media, public relations and direct marketing on issues relating to organ donation and transplantation.
To provide participation opportunities to individuals and organisations through a volunteer network.
To form an alliance with companies and service organisations.
www.odf.org.za
 

Malachi Place of Safety was established in 2005 by Audrey and Ruan Brummer after they volunteered to open their home as a safe house for abused and abandoned children. Ruan heads the SAPS Child Protection Unit (now known as the FCS Unit). The children come from drug or alcohol abused or abandoned homes, where they have experienced physical, mental or sexual abuse. They are placed in Malachi Place of Safety in the interim while social workers and police investigate their cases.
Audrey and Ruan opened their family home so that the children are provided with a loving, caring family environment; something many of them are not familiar with! They are also provided with all the normal everyday needs, like food, clothing, medical care, education, etc. The family try to restore their trust in adults and give them hope for the future.
Audrey hopes to impact on their lives so that they can leave with skills, knowledge and strength and affect others’ lives in a positive way.
We really appreciate all financial donations however donating your time can be just as valuable.
Times when we really need help:
– Lift club in the morning (we are currently lifting kids to 5 different schools, need to get up at 5am in order to be ready in time)
– Help with homework in the afternoons (we are currently unable to give each child the individual help they need when struggling with homework, due to time constraints.)
– Help with feeding and bathing early morning
Volunteer your skills:
– We would love to pave the outside area and paint murals on the floor, to provide a place for the kids to learn to ride a bicycle or skateboard.
– The home is in need of new gutters before winter as they currently don’t have any.
www.malachiplaceofsafety.com

The Zakheni Arts Therapy Foundation is a registered Non Profit Organisation and Section 21 Company that provides psychological and emotional support to children, adolescents and adults through the medium of the creative arts therapies. It was founded in 2001 by Art Therapist Linda Souchon and Dramatherapist Kirsten Meyer. The vision of the Foundation is to provide psychological, emotional and social support to improve the wellbeing of children, adolescents and adults through the Creative Arts Therapies.
Our core business is providing creative arts workshops, training and supervision for Child and Youth careworkers, Dramatherapy in Schools and the use of Playback Theatre, in order to strengthen psychosocial support service to vulnerable children. Zakheni contracts the services of a collection of Art, Drama, Music and Play Therapists who work in collaboration with Community Arts Practitioners.
Our objectives are to:
Provide psychological and emotional support services to children, adolescents and adults through the medium of the Creative Arts Therapies. Partner with likeminded organizations in order to develop their capacity to provide effective, child appropriate psychosocial support programmes. Provide community creative arts psycho-social support services. Enhance and support the wellbeing of Care Workers and Health Professionals Art, Drama, Music and Movement Therapies are young and dynamic professions in South Africa. One of the biggest national social needs in South Africa at present is for support during and healing from traumas within our current and historical socio/political context. The arts therapies have consistently proven to be effective in addressing individual difficulties as well as group dynamics because of the way in which internal material can surface in a non-intrusive way.
The Zakheni Arts Therapy Foundation works with the arts in a unique way, combining therapy and healing with the arts. The creative arts have always been an intrinsic part of a community’s capacity to express, support and heal. In ancient times, through ritual drama, primitive art, dance and music, communities came together in a positive and creative way to share and reflect on what was going on in their daily lives. Even now, art, theatre, dance and music are used as tools in society as ways of reflecting on present day issues. The artist has a chance to express their individual views, feelings, hopes, concerns and in this way the Arts can be used as platforms for healing. The Arts Therapies provide creative ways of expressing oneself that does not rely only on words. The use of metaphor becomes a container for one’s feelings, giving form to them that otherwise would not be able to find expression.
Zakheni works predominantly within communites affected by trauma, poverty, HIV and conflict. It is well documented that the majority of South Africans have experienced trauma, or are existing within ongoing traumatic circumstances. “The core experiences of psychological trauma are disempowerment and disconnection from others. Recovery, therefore, is based on upon the empowerment of the survivor and the creation of new connections” (Hermann, 1992, p133) The arts provide a safe non-verbal means for expression without feeling overwhelmed, where a mind body connection can be facilitated and a safe way can be provided to help organise and process difficult life events. Zakheni runs a number of projects including a Schools Dramatherapy Project and capacity building and training for careworkers working with vulnerable children and a Playback Theatre Company.
http://zakheni.org.za/