Jewish NPO Afrika Tikkun is upbeat about Alex in 2020.
ALEXANDRA – Partnerships praised for charity's 2019 successes
NPO Afrika Tikkun is upbeat and poised to consolidating its role in 2020 as a partner and change agent for the less privileged in society.
It already has an exemplary 25-year-old footprint of this also within Alexandra households. By the end of last year, the organisation had impacted over 12 500 young people and their families and ensured that their educational, skills, physical, nutritional, family and
psycho-social needs were met. This is articulated in a statement by the organisation’s chief executive officer Marc Lubner who said this result is an impetus for the organisation’s future endeavours. “They are amazing achievements which set the tone and a high bar for 2020 and we are more than ready to rise to the challenge.”
To their donors, partners and friends Lubner said, “All of you live our dream of positively affecting the lives of the unemployed, and 2020 seems to have a different feel to previous years.
“There is a sense of optimism, and a positive spin that ‘things’ will get better.”
Power outages, he said, are now seen as a step towards reducing global warming. “Our Miss Universe, Zozibini Tunzi, does not just want world peace, she talks with a real South African passion for global change.
“She believes her role can help celebrate diversity.”
This, Lubner said, is in addition to the nation swallowing hard and accepting the pain and negative impact from years of corruption. “We laud concepts like integrity and honesty and are ready to take on the responsibility for building a better South Africa.”
He thanked the partners’ generosity and support saying it was incredible and will help to continue demonstrating the effectiveness of the organisation’s Cradle to Career model. Alluding to the many confident girls and boys entering Grade 1 this year Lubner said, “Their Grade R results show that by December 2019, 89 per cent of them were ready for school, well exceeding our target of 75 per cent.
“Our Saturday School programme for grades 10 to 12 proved a much-appreciated service for 846 school-going young people who attended regularly and exceeded out target of 250.”
He was thrilled by the 2019 matric learners saying they received a 92 per cent pass rate, with 49 per cent of them obtaining university exemption.
According to Lubner, the organisation had by December also made a small but significant dent on unemployment with 3 192 young people receiving basic employability (work readiness) and industry-specific skills with 1 767 or 55 per cent of them getting work-related positions. “It surpassed our target of 1 000 economic opportunity placements.”
These are part of a momentum Lubner sees as setting the pace and horizon for 2020. ” I am thrilled, humbled and in awe to be an integral part of this togetherness.”
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Afrika Tikkun develops change agents in some of the poorest communities
