Faranani Infrastructure Project holds graduation ceremony

After a 12-month programme with 100 students, Faranani Infrastructure Project (FIP) hosted a graduation ceremony on Thursday at the Don Mateman Hall in Eldorado Park.

For a community that is sometimes perceived by some as violent and unsafe, this graduation celebration was seen as a turning point. It was motivating to see young people who actually committed themselves to stay in the programme despite challenges.

Amanda Mokoena from the Trevor Noah Foundation said, “Today we are here to celebrate the resilience of these young people who were on a 12-month programme to refurbish five schools. They did an amazing job and today they shine.”

ALSO READ: Fun household projects to do with your children

Youth Build in partnership with the Trevor Noah Foundation implemented the FIP programme in 2021 to mend the backlog of educational infrastructure on township schools.

The project consisted of 100 participants who used their newly gained skills to refurbish five schools in their community.

The aim was, according Oupa Tshabalala, Executive Director for Youth Build, to help local schools that had challenges with their infrastructure. FIP did not only restore the school’s dignity but it created a healthy learning environment for learners.

“This was about young people using their hands and brains and being available to assist their communities with this infrastructure, to ensure that these schools produce good academic results,” said Tshabalala.

During the ceremony, graduates took a pledge in front of the community, a pledge that they are going to follow as they move to attaining their dreams.

“As the participants of Faranani Infrastructure Project, I pledge not to ask what South Africa can do for me but what I can do for my community and country,” pledged the graduates.

Ward Councillor, Dwain Ponsonby was present at the celebration of these young people and on his speech he shared the positive

impact of these projects that target broken communities.

“As a Cllr I am faced with a lot of negatives and for me this is a great moment because today I give my congratulations and not my condolences.

“Our community has a high rate of death and young people are the culprits. I am grateful to these coordinators for choosing Eldos and Freedom Park,” said Cllr Ponsonby.

ALSO READ: Project your vibe with the new Samsung Freestyle 2nd Gen projector

FIP is a second chance programme for young people in townships, to facilitate a process that will lead to them developing skills, experience and work readiness.

“To all the young people of Eldos, there is hope. We can always find ways in which we can rewrite the stories of our lives and its programmes such as these that can encourage us to be better,” Tshabalala concluded.

Interested individuals need to have at least Grade 11 and visit this link https://trevornoahfoundation.org/what-we-do/faranani-infrastructure-project/