PAPU graduates empowered by courses on offer

Just recently, the social development programme ‘People Against Poverty and Unemployment’ (PAPU) held their first graduation ceremony at the Coronationville Methodist Church.

The programme was started by Dawn Joseph when she retired from the Department of Health in 2012.

The programme today offers computer training, life skills, free internet access for job seeking, counselling, advisory referrals, social support and they working on implementing an entrepreneurship programme.

They also offer funding to put students in the Sparrows FET college to do any form of artisan training, cutlery and early childhood development. This funding includes paying for the registration fees as well.

According to the chairperson of the board, Monthy Maphike South Africa has the lowest rate of children who are attending school.

He stated that these students who graduated are privileged to have this opportunity which the Department of Social Development has provided them with.

Joseph spoke about what it takes to ‘make it in life’and said that it requires the spirit of a warrior for one to take risks, even if you know that there was the possibility of failure, you still take the risk anyway.

“We enrolled 71 students into the life skills and computer training at PAPU last year July, and out of that number, 50 students completed the course and graduated,” said Joseph.

A number of the graduates are now employed because of this programme and for those who have not completed their matric, PAPU has partnered with Brian Abrahams from the African Digital Education Training (ADET) to assist these students in further developing themselves.

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