Three2Six children’s refugee education project will be celebrating its 10th anniversary on April 7.
The Three2Six project started in 2008.
The aim of the project is to offer hope to refugee children.
The programme offers academic and social bridging into the South African schooling system. It also aims to offer protective factors that can build resilience and reduce vulnerability.
“The project has offered the children a sense of belonging, a positive school environment, an opportunity for success and a non-violent environment that allows them to be children,” said marketing coordinator Lynn Walker.
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The programme offers interim primary school education from Grade R to Six for children who have been refused access to state schools.
The Three2Six project makes use of unused classrooms when the normal school day has ended. Its name refers to its operating hours, namely 3pm to 6pm.
The project offers maths, English and life skills classes to prepare children for the move into a government school.
The project also offers employment for refugee teachers, mentorship and training for the refugee teachers, immunisation for the children and their siblings, skills training and support for parents and advocacy with the local department of education to accept children once they are school-ready.
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“Three2Six is an advocate for the rights of refugee children. No child deserves to be deprived of education, which was one of the reasons why we started the project. This project has also benefited our learners as they have been afforded the opportunity to be exposed to a rich variety of cultures.
“The Three2Six project not only feeds the mind but also the soul and body,” said Walker.
