This week’s blog post is dedicated to featured charity Bright Start. Bright Start was founded on the principle that assisting children by paying school fees is not enough to help them be successful. The charity seeks to enhance the educational opportunities of children from low-income, disadvantaged backgrounds in the Western Cape region of South Africa.

Bright Start operates a unique programme that offers:

• Financial support allowing the recipient to attend a quality school
• A dedicated mentor who bridges the gap working with the school, learner and family
• A cultural enrichment holiday programme
• Educational support in maths and literacy
• Access to subsidised medical and dental care
• Safe transport to and from school, and also aftercare and extra murals
• Capacity building workshops

In creating a more comprehensive programme that serves the social, emotional and physical needs of children, the charity allows the participants to be more self sustaining which lets them maximize their potential.

Programme beneficiaries are identified by an annual application process, which is governed by assessment criteria. A key eligibility criteria is parental commitment, as the value which the parents place on a good education is critical to the success of the children.

With public schools in the Western Cape being overcrowded and under resourced, it is difficult for children to reach their maximum potential or get individualized attention. In fact, 80% of learners at these schools do not complete Grade 12 and the 2012 Annual National Assessment revealed that 1 in 6 learners who wrote Grade 12 in South Africa scored below 10% in maths.

Find out more about Bright Start and how you can be a part of the exciting things they are doing to educate the new generation. Visit the Bright Start Mycharitymap page today!