South Africa - Albert Street Refugee School
Albert Street Refugee School
Central Methodist Mission
79 Pritchard & Small Street
Johannesburg, South Africa
"If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to one another." ~Mother Teresa
Background of School:
The Albert Street School, located in downtown Johannesburg, South Africa, was shut down in 1958 during the Apartheid era. It recently reopened in July of 2008 as a refugee school under the direction of Bishop Paul Verryn and the Central City Mission.
The school now teaches Grade 1 through 12 and comprises approx. 585 refugee children (mainly from Zimbabwe but serving studnets now from 12 nations). The staff of 21 teachers, 3 administrators, 5 cooks, 2 guards, one secretary, and one maintenance staff person are all refugees from Zimbabwe. There are currently 120 unaccompanied minors --without either parent or any guardian -- that are in desperate need of support and sponsorship for unforms, school supplies and school fees (please see "NEEDS ASSESSMENT REPORT" from August 2009 below for fees.)
At its inception, with only 70 children, the percentage of children who were UNACCOMPANIED MINORS was over 90%, so they rely on the school to help them with not only with their education, but also their day-to-day needs of food, clothing and shelter.
Currently, the students and the school staff have no homes, and all sleep in very crowded and sometimes unsafe conditions (on cement floors & stairwells) at the Central City Methodist Mission Church, and are part of the 800-900 refugees that sleep at the church nightly.
As you see in the photos, the children have no desks and proper school materials, and the school is in desperate need of donations:
- Blankets
- Staff salaries
- School and sport uniforms
- Funiture - bookshelves, chairs, desks, tables, etc.
- Food for the daily meals provided to the students and staff
- Computers and teaching materials
- Cash donations to pay for construction, repair and upkeep of the school
For a full (downloadable) "NEEDS ASSESSMENT" REPORT (AUGUST 2009) on the school's current reconstruction efforts and needs, click on link below:
- Work and construction teams are needed to repair, paint, replaster and build additional rooms -- there is a great need to clean, repair appliances and renovate the rooms to a hygienic, mold-free environment !
If you, your church, or your nonprofit are interested in helping, please contact roxanerichter@yahoo.com
South Africa Team - Trip Report 2009
Pictured at Albert Street School's 1st Anniversary Programme: (Photo Left) Alpha Zhou, principal of Albert Street School; Richard Bosart, Director of South African Methodist Volunteers in Mission; Most Rev. Bishop Paul Verryn, Central Methodist Mission Church, Johannesburg; Dr. Thomas Flower, Medical Director of World Missions Possible; Roxane Richter, President of World Missions Possible; and Rainier Richter. (Photo Right) Dr. Flowers, Roxane and Rainier with display of donated items for the school, including 3 new laptop computers, a microscope, human anatomical models, blood pressure sets, etc. - total donation to school in 2009 in items and cash donations = 30,250 Rand or approx. $4,500.
Dr. Flowers and Roxane, an Emergency Medical Technician, taught Form 3 &4 students several medical sciences classes, including cardiovascular system, the eye, the skeletal system and fractures, nutrition, etc. The students all learned how to take manual blood pressure readings and were very quick to learn how to use a stethoscope and view fractures on x-rays!
(Photos Below) The administrative staff, World Missions Possible and SAMVIM all traveled out to the Rotary book warehouse to pick up donations of 785 books for the students of the school. The staff was delighted to choose from a wide variety of books in Biology, Chemistry, World History, English, Mathematics, and many other subjects.
(Pictured Below) The school is in great need of reconstruction and repair! New mobile chalkboards, classroom doors, student lockers, desks, classroom partitions, and the refurbishment and replacement of kitchen equipment (stoves, refrigerator, cabinetry, etc.) is very neccessary. There are also several larger projects like drainage issues, fire escapes, showering and dressing rooms, and the construction of student and staff sleeping quarters that need to be addressed.
(Photos Above) Pictured are the current needs: View the current state of chairs, broken pieces of chalkboards, and student lockers (there are 11 non-locking and broken metal lockers for over 500 students). Because the majority of students are homeless (without proper housing) and stay at the Central Methodist Church, they have nowhere "safe" to keep their school supplies and papers, making it very difficult to excel at their academic studies and exams!
South Africa Team - Trip Report 2008
In July/August of 2008, Roxane Richter, EMT, and Dr. Tom Flowers of World Missions Possible, along with Richard Bosart of South African Methodist Volunteers in Mission (SAMVIM), sorted and delivered approx. 600 school books from Rotary International in Bedfordview. Donations from World Missions Possible and UMCOR included bookshelves, three large tables, 70 Bibles for students and staff, numerous school supplies, chalkboards, 70 shirts, soccer balls, as well as OTC medical supplies for the school children. To date, World Missions Possible donated over $1,500 in cash and items.
To Help or Donate, Please Contact:
Roxane Richter
President, World Missions Possible (USA)
Richard Bosart
Director, Southern Africa Methodist Volunteers in Mission (SAMVIM)
You can also make a direct donation:
CMM Deaconess Society - Albert Street School
First National Bank, RMB Private Bank Johannesburg
Pictured from Left to Right: William Kandowe, school administrator, at Rotary's warehouse;
some of the wonderful books for the refugee school; and the "heart and soul" of the school's hard-working staff - William Kandowe, school administrator, Raphel Maisiri, vice prinicipal, and Alpha Zhou, the school's principal.
Pictured from Left to Right: The delivery of Bibles to the school, a donation from Joyce Meyer Ministries facilitated through World Missions Possible; some staff members and the kitchen and where the schoolchildren come to eat their daily meal - sometimes their only meal for the day; the delivery of wheelchairs facilitated by SAMVIM.
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OUR VISION ON REFUGEE EDUCATIONAL PROJECTS
By: William Kandowe and Alpha Zhou
Albert Street Refugee School Staff
It is an education that has a dual purpose:
(a) Education for healing and rehabilitation (i.e the phychological aspect)
(b) Education for skills development of the refugee or the displaced person that will enable him /her to earn a living abroad and participate in the future economic development of his or her country.
Forced migration destroys a person socially, physically and psychologically. It is therefore these important aspects of life that need to be redressed, and thus the planners of refugee programmes should focus on them especially in educational programmes.
During migration a person loses property job, family ties and lastly social or cultural ethics. People in most cases resort to prostitution, crime, begging and drug abuse.
PROVISIONS OF REFUGEE EDUCATION:
It must provide the following:
(a) Accommodation
(b) FOOD
(c) Clothing
(d) Counselling
(e) Free education
(f) Recreational facilities
TO ACHIEVE THESE GOALS
We must have an educational board that is appointed by the Bishop which will be tasked to plan; implement and assess educational activities. The role of board members include marketing, registration, determination of teachers salaries, school infrastructure development staff recruitment and ensuring competitive remuneration of staff management of financial resources.etc
