Build community. Build a school

The late Frederick Douglass once said “It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken adults.” As an escapee from slavery he would understand this. He taught himself to read and write and went on to become one of America’s most influential social reformers. Like many abolitionists, he believed education was crucial to improving lives.

Building a high quality centre to kick-start the education of impoverished children is Goal50s biggest undertaking to date. The charity firmly believes that the Centre will begin to change how township community functions. The Centre will bring children together. It will bring families together. It will encourage teamwork and respect for others.

It took several years for the government to finally cede the land which the charity had identified as having potential. It was also necessary for the land to be rezoned to enable it to operate an Early Childhood Development Centre (ECD). The goal is to be fully operational by late 2024.

Goal50 created a pre-school educational facility back in 2016 after meeting several mums who could not afford the cost of fees. Sadly, children who do don’t attend pre-school are hugely disadvantaged. So the charity employed qualified teachers and teaching assistants to champion the education of marginalised children. Over the past six years nearly 150 children have graduated to ‘big’ school.

The new Goal50 Edu Hub will allow for growth, with space for four classrooms and 120 learners. It’s impossible to put a price on the value of a solid start in education. But the cost of the new building is £500K.

Let’s finish with the words of the great man Frederick Douglass. “Once you learn to read you will be free forever”. Would you help set children free?