Kiddies Hope Academy embarked on their latest educational excursions for the year 2023. The latest series of trips kicked off on Heritage Day in September where the children visited Mozambique.
These tours were all about cultural exchange where children were taught about how people from neighbouring countries live and work.
The learning experience was structured in a way that the children got to immerse themselves in the everyday lives of the locals for a few days, experiencing the culture, way of life and the environment.
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Xolani Sithole of Kiddies Hope Academy said the reason they initiated the programme eight years ago was to educate children about different cultures while fostering social cohesion.
“With our country being this diverse with people from other countries, it is important for the children to learn about other cultures. The educational trips not only help them learn but they also help us avoid issues of discrimination amongst the kids because they understand each other and different cultures better,” explained Sithole.
When they get to the host countries, the children get to dress like locals, eat local food even get to buy local products.
Sithole said this experience will help the children even when they are older if they get a chance to go and work in other countries as they will be prepared to adapt to other cultures more easily.
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The next trips they will undertake in the beginning of December will be to Namibia, Tanzania and Dubai in the UAE.
This month they also embarked on another trip to Durban under their Future Pilots programme. This is where they teach children about the aviation industry. This time they partnered with LIFT airline where children got to learn about different jobs in the aviation industry, from pilots to cabin crews and air traffic controllers.
“This is a very important opportunity for our children given by the airline.
“Not only do they give classes about how airlines and airports work, but they also fly the children to a different destination like Durban where they got to spend a few days at a hotel before flying back home,” added Sithole.
All these trips are free to all the children at the academy. This helps give them all an equal chance to learn regardless of their financial background. Sithole thanked LIFT airline, LAM – Mozambique Airlines and the Mozambique government for working with them in making the trips a success.
