2017-2018 ANNUAL REPORT
Contents Page Chairman’s Report.............................................................................. Page 3 CEO Report ............................................................................................ Page 4 DSD Youth Excellence Awards............................................................ Page 5 Staff Care............................................................................................... Page 6 Why Education and Skills?.................................................................. Page 7 Education............................................................................................... Page 8 Educentre............................................................................................. Page 9 Sikelela Kwatcha: Story of Hope.................................................... Page 12 Shannon Smith: Story of Hope....................................................... Page 14 Skills..................................................................................................... Page 16 Youth Café......................................................................................... Page 17 Tracey Mungofa: Story of Hope...................................................... Page 20 Garrison Kivido: Story of Hope....................................................... Page 21 Eden.................................................................................................... Page 22 Francisca Jeftha: Story of Hope...................................................... Page 25 Impact.................................................................................................. Page 27 Fundraising ......................................................................................... Page 31 Finance................................................................................................. Page 32 Donors & Partners.............................................................................. Page 33 Poem.................................................................................................... Page 34 Contact Us........................................................................................... Page 36 2
Chairperson’s Report The South African Non-Profit Organisation (NPO) landscape has for the past decade been in a constant state of change. The decline of the world economy near crippled this sector. The effect of this on home soil was devastating. The political environment, on the other hand, is still facing on-going scenario changes, and together it left the non-profit organisations in a battle for survival. For the past year, however, The Sozo Foundation, based in the Vrygrond community, held its course and met these challenges head-on. A clear corporate vision, supported by sound management principles, saw the organisation grow beyond expectation, continuing to serve a community they love. We are ensuring we remain compliant in the rapidly transforming corporate governance domain by exposing our members to growth opportunities and training. The “Quality Improvement System” (QIS) program on governance by Connect Network, “Heartlife” by Tidal and “Change Anything” by Vital Smarts all had a positive impact. I can wholeheartedly commend this report to you, and I hope that in reading it you may find hope in the commitment of an amazing team working to ensure each beneficiary does not simply become yet another statistic. Thank you to the Sozo Board of Trustees 2017-2018 Stefanus Olivier - Chairperson Cecil John - Deputy Chairperson Sheldon Kidwell - Board Secretary Rodney Hopley - Treasurer Elana Cuyler - Trustee Anton Cuyler - CEO
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CEO Report I recently read a statement by an author called Richard Rohr who says, “Transformed people transform people”. It immediately struck a chord within me because I feel that this is what has always been at the heart of The Sozo Foundation’s story. For the last seven years, we have had many straplines that have guided us in pursuing our vision of transformation. Our original motto, “We help people to help themselves so that they can help others”, later transformed into, “We help people to know they are loved so that they can love others” and we have finally landed on, “Collaborating for transformation through unconditional love”. In all of these statements, there is a work that needs to be done on the former for the latter to become a reality, which is the story of The Sozo Foundation! At Sozo we are on a journey of transformation as a Tribe. We believe that people in the workplace need to have a healthy work environment. It is also imperative that we have functional systems in place. This past year we have spent much time improving our financial, accounting, logistical, and operational systems. We have ensured that we have more capacity on board by developing a General Manager position for somebody who has the gifts, skills, and abilities to conduct the well-oiled flow of day-to-day business in the organisation. I can genuinely say that I have seen the fruit of these strategic decisions. I have seen the Sozo Tribe grapple with tough conversations in a transparent and vulnerable way, fully committing themselves to the journey of transformation. I wonder what the answer would be if I had to ask every single staff member, “Who were you before you came to Sozo?” I know what my answer would be: “A different person than who I am now”. I am grateful to have been on this transformational journey as we collaborate to see change in a community through unconditional love. This unconditional love spills over from our staff into our programs, into the lives of our beneficiaries and into the community that we are working in to see real transformation. Anton Cuyler CEO
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DSD Youth Excellence Awards On 28 November 2017, The Western Cape Minister for Social Development, Albert Fritz, handed Sozo a second Gold Award at the third annual Department of Social Development (DSD) Youth Excellence Awards ceremony. Three Grade 12 learners accompanied Sozo staff to the ceremony and had the opportunity to interact with dignitaries including local sports star JP Duminy. Sozo was selected as a finalist for the Western Cape out of more than 70 organisations who applied from across the Province which serves as a testament to the recognition of our work. The awards evening had seven award categories, with each type recognising three winners ranked bronze, silver, and gold. Among the winners were our Vrygrond partners, Butterfly Art Project, who won a Gold award for Promoting Diversity & Inclusion. Our Educentre implementation partners, OLICO Foundation, won a silver award for Best Practice in After School Programming. Sozo was awarded Gold in the category of Creating Spaces for Identity & Belonging. In 2016 we were presented a Gold Award for Creating Youth Opportunities. Winning a Gold award is an honour, and this massive achievement humbles us. Guests at the awards ceremony included representatives of over 50 organisations from civil society. We enjoyed an evening of dramatic and entertaining performances by young people. Western Cape Premier, Helen Zille, delivered the keynote address and passionately shared how “over 60 per cent of our population is made up of young people. This means the youth are the heartbeat of our economy and broader society. Moreover, instead of waiting for opportunities to be handed to them, we have seen many young entrepreneurs, who started with very little, develop some of the most innovative ideas that have ultimately led to job creation. That is the kind of drive and determination we wish to see in the Western Cape youth”.
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Staff Care Talent Development and Wellness At Sozo we are serious about people being transformed by unconditional love. Our commitment to this mission is not only limited to those around us and the community which we serve, but also for ourselves. True change within a community can only go so far as we are willing to challenge and develop ourselves as staff. While this is easy to say and believe it takes true commitment to see this belief in action. While Sozo has always been committed to the wellbeing of staff, two-thirds of whom reside within the community of Vrygrond, we have been able to sharpen this focus in the past year. Initially staff care was focussed strongly on the emotional and mental well-being of staff through counselling. However, as the year progressed, an intentional shift was made to broaden the focus from being response-based to being pro-active and also incorporating career and job skills development. With this in mind the name of the department was changed from “Staff Care” to “Talent Development and Wellness” early in 2018. Over the past year, staff have been able to access counselling and other services from our staff social worker, as well as partner organisations, including Hope House, FAMSA, Foundations for Life and Jubilee Health Clinic. All staff also attended key training courses aimed at further developing their personal growth and healthy coping skills. These included Resilience Training and HeartStyles - both facilitated by existing partners - and Crucial Conversations which was fully sponsored by VitalSmarts and Human Edge. Lunchtime Chats, which are relaxed workshops facilitated by the staff social worker once a month during the lunch hour, were also introduced. This provided an opportunity to further empower staff and embed skills learnt during training courses and also to address burning issues. Good news: From surviving to finding hope Sozo staff have shown amazing resilience and transforming vulnerability as they faced challenges such as severe illnesses – both personally and within their families – struggles resulting from exposure to trauma and traumatic incidences, experiencing multiple and traumatic deaths within their family, and other very difficult circumstances. Yet they have continued to show up to support and help the young people in their community. Staff who actively engaged in the activities and services offered for their support and growth in the 2017/2018 period have seen some of the following results: • Improved mental health and coping abilities • Felt supported and able to cope in difficult circumstances • Able to make difficult decisions which have changed their living conditions • Become more attentive and able to concentrate at work The Talent Development and Wellness Department is committed to continue walking alongside staff as we continue to grow as a healthy, well-equipped team of transformational leaders who are so deeply impacting the community of Vrygrond. Amanda Engelbrecht Talent Development & Wellness Manager
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Why Education and Skills? To understand why The Sozo Foundation are so passionate about Education and Skills for the young people of Vrygrond, one must first engage with the wider challenges for young people across the nation of South Africa. Post-apartheid South Africa has two huge challenges for its ever-growing youth population; the first is education and the second is youth employment. The result of a learner’s matric examinations at the end of their high school career denotes the minimum entry level requirement for university study. Entry into post-school training and tertiary education opportunities increasingly requires a matric certificate. The South African matric pass rate in 2017 was 75.1%. However, when interrogated, this figure only notes the pass rate for the learners who wrote their Matric exam and 1 excludes those who have dropped out along the way. Only 37.3% of the students who enrolled in Grade 10 in 2015 wrote and passed the matric exams at the end of 2017. For young people living in Vrygrond, the daily engagement with education is likely to be in an under-resourced and overcrowded school. With no access to a High School in the community, these young people face the added reality of crossing gang territories on the Cape Flats to attend school. The vast number of learners who drop out of High School or fail their matric exams create a swell of young people, in theory, looking to engage in either some form of training or the labour market. In practice, it creates a generation of majority unemployed teenagers with low skills and confidence levels hoping to secure a job. The Department of Higher Education and Training indicated in their research that in 2016 3.2 million young people between 15 and 24 years old across South Africa were not in education, employment or training 2 (NEET) . Current statistics from the South African government state that “the unemployment rate among young people aged 15 to 34 was 38,2%, implying that more than one in every three young people in the 3 labour force did not have a job in the first quarter of 2018 .” A brief overview of the macro environment our young people are facing shows the requirement for deliberate support for young people in completing their education and having access to high-quality skills training. At The Sozo Foundation, we are passionate about supporting young people throughout their High School career. Engaging with the Educentre five times a week means a learner will have access to tutoring, social work support, nutritional meals, post-matric opportunities and information technology. Our Youth Café programme continues to offer skills development opportunities to NEET young people aiming to address the deficits in life skills, hard skills and experience to gain employment. Meanwhile, our Eden team has been hard at work equipping students in our school garden classrooms as well as unemployed women in the Vrygrond community with the skills necessary to grow organic vegetables. Thank you for contributing towards Youth Transformation in our Nation and Community.
Steve Morris Programme Manager
1. News 24 (2018, May 1) “Real Matric Pass Rate is 37.3 %, Says DA” 2. Department of Higher Education and Training (February 2017) “Fact Sheet On “NEETS” 3. Statistics South Africa (2018, May 15) “Youth unemployment still high in Q1: 2018”
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Education
“To see a generation of young leaders who inspire positive change in their own communities� 9
Educentre Impact The beginning of the year started with an incredible amount of enthusiasm and energy, welcoming new as well as returning students. We partnered with volunteer organisations and hosted students from International Exchange Students (IES) Abroad, Youth with a Mission (YWAM) and Scandinavia-South Africa (SCANZA) in the capacity of tutors in the Educentre. Our partnership with Vrygrond Community Labs (VCLabs) has allowed us to provide the learners with computer literacy classes which taught learners how to use Microsoft Word, PowerPoint and Excel. Sozonites also had the opportunity to use the computers during the tutoring session, with Tutors and Grade Mentors to assist them. Olico trained all Educentre staff and Grade Mentors on their e-learning maths programme. We have continued to take care of the nutritional needs of our beneficiaries by providing them with wholesome meals. The Educentre has become a beneficiary of Pick ‘n Pay surplus stock scheme, and we are collecting fruit, vegetables, bread rolls and sometimes cake daily. We were able to cut our catering costs as we no longer have to purchase bread, fruit and vegetables. We cannot emphasise enough the importance of nutritional meals provided for each learner during the sessions. On 22 April 2017, Grade 11 and 12 learners attended the University of Cape Town's (UCT) open day which was an excellent opportunity for seniors to prepare for post-schooling opportunities. Also, the seniors were able to experience a place of tertiary study and engage with students and faculty alike. The learners attended another open day at False Bay College, Muizenberg, and the University of Stellenbosch. Our aim at Educentre is to allow students to engage and prepare for post-schooling possibilities and develop a future-focused awareness.
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Inspired Stages took place from 3 to 7 April 2017, with 15 students taking part in an intensive creative performing arts workshop that included dance, music and instruments. Learners enjoyed and engaged in workshops that encouraged understanding themselves, their passions, and a general awareness of how to engage with other people. Taking care of the psycho-social needs of our beneficiaries is one of our high priorities, and now that we have a social worker dedicated to Educentre, we were able to assess all 94 Sozonites along with their parents in counselling sessions where needed. Our Social Worker was then able to ‘categorise’ the learners into three levels of priority of need – green, yellow and red which allowed us to be more proactive with regards to psycho-social concerns and not rely on self-referrals alone. We had some social auxiliary work students completing their work experience placement to assist us with group work sessions. Our Educentre Team met with parents to see how we could best support our Sozonites together. Our Sozonites experienced a fantastic camp in Tulbagh facilitated by Boot Camp South Africa. A total of 64 learners attended the camp and took part in activities such as raft building, designing a model of the Vrygrond community, night games, day hikes, song and dance sessions and much more. The camp offered an opportunity for staff to connect with learners and also for learners to better connect and have fun. Sozonites gained a sense of belonging and have begun to recognise ways in which they can lead change in themselves and their community. Three Grade 12 learners accompanied Sozo staff to the Department of Social Development’s 2017 Youth Ministerial Excellence Awards. Sozo won a Gold award and had the opportunity to interact with dignitaries including Premier Helen Zille, Minister of Social Development Albert Fritz, and local sports star JP Duminy. Wendy Abrahams Programme Manager
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Story of Hope Sikelela Kwatcha
We had the opportunity to interview Sikelela Kwatcha, who enrolled in the Educentre programme in 2014 when he was in Grade 9 and is awaiting his matric results before going on to study Fashion Design. He has started up a fashion brand, Ubuntu Trends (www.ubuntutrends.com), with a friend of his and they have already received national media attention for their African inspired urban designs which Sikelela wears proudly. Why did you decide to join Sozo Educentre? S: I saw it was a good opportunity. Most youths in Vrygrond don’t have the equipment or resources to research the homework we get at school. It was a big opportunity for me to see my dreams come true. I was struggling when it came to academics, but that didn’t stop me from taking the opportunity to join Sozo. What was your biggest challenge as a youth? I struggled with understanding the school work. I wasn’t sharp when it came to academics. That was my biggest challenge. I was stressing, when I got low marks at school I didn’t feel happy, I felt like there was something wrong with me, but that didn’t stop me. S: When I started Sozo, I felt shy because I didn’t know people. At Sozo, it was my first time to do homework with other youth around. Especially because the way I grew up, if you don’t have a girlfriend then you’re “weak” and they call you names. When I started at Sozo, I was afraid that I would feel weak because I wasn’t used to being around a lot of people and girls. It made me shy, and I couldn’t focus, but eventually, I broke through because I got used to them and spoke to them. Any highlights that come to mind? S: The Sozo Camp when we went to Hermanus with the Youth at The Bay. That camp helped me to become an open person and to showcase my talent in front of the other youth. That camp was awesome. Did you win any awards? S: I remember when I got the award for 100% attendance. That was a big thing for me because where I come from we don’t get a certificate for attendance so that to me was a joy. If I can do it, other youth can definitely do the same thing, and in that way, we can change the circumstances and the environment. And even the way we think it opens our minds because it doesn’t define who we are, where we come from. In that way, it opens us to be free and work harder to become successful. It really showed me I that needed to focus and make goals for my life. What are your dreams for the future? S: My dream is to become one of the best fashion designers in the world. I believe I need to also give back to the youth, even just to teach them how to sew, how to be more creative. At the end of the day, even though I wasn’t that good with academics, it didn’t stop me from being where I am right now. I’m still pushing. What message or advice would you like to give to the youth in the community? S: Not everyone is good when it comes to academics. Some of us are practical people. God didn’t create us the same.
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Not everyone is good when it comes to academics. Some of us are practical people. God didn’t create us the same. ~ Sikelela Kwatcha ~ 13
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Story of Hope Shannon Smith
Shannon Smith joined Sozo Educentre when she was in Grade 10 and graduated with Matric in 2014. She has been working at Pick ‘n Pay, Plumstead, for the last few years and plans to open up her own business in Touwsrivier. Shannon is the only breadwinner in her family, supporting her mother and younger siblings. Why did you decide to join Sozo Educentre? S: I was part of the Sozo Youth Group at the Bay Community Church. I needed the help, and they were willing to help me with school work, internet and tutors. They were always there for anything I needed for school. There was always food, and if you were still hungry, they would ask you if you wanted more to eat. Whenever they asked the students if they wanted anything to be changed they compromised, they didn’t just think of themselves as mentors, they were thinking about us. When they asked questions, I felt free to say whatever I wanted to say. That’s what I liked because I was always the one to comment or say something. What was your biggest challenge as a youth? S: My biggest challenge was Matric. I was very playful and didn’t pass my Matric first time around. Sozo helped me to get a supplementary exam the following year, and I passed. I didn’t have the equipment to do it on my own. Sozo helped me by sending a letter for me; I didn’t even need to go to Cape Town. They did everything for me. I got a date for when I could redo my exams, and before I received my results from the department, Sozo gave me my results. Any highlights that come to mind? S: The design course. We had to draw on boxes and create our art out of a box. I will never forget that because I was one of the best. It was very creative, everyone could do what they wanted to do, write out anything they wanted to write on the box, and we went to go and show it off at an exhibition at the Bay Church so everyone could see what we did. That was fun, there was no judging, everyone liked everything everyone else did, and we could learn from each other, we could see how creative people can be, how they can think out of the box. What are your dreams for the future? S: I’ve been out of school for four years. Since I was in school, I always wanted to study to become a Social Worker. My dream is to open up a Foundation like Sozo, who are there to counsel people or when you need anything. I don’t want to send children to homes; I want to open my own home. That’s what we need, not just in Capricorn, but in South Africa. What message or advice would you like to give to the youth in the community? S: To never give up no matter your circumstances. Always try. Whenever you feel like someone loves you, don’t ever feel that that’s not enough, because there are people out there that have it worse than you do. So whatever help you get, take it. Don’t think “They could have given me more help,” You never know what that person thinks by giving you that help. That little help means a lot. When you become mature, you will think “That help could’ve brought me far”. I’ve had so much help. Never give up. Don’t take advantage of people’s goodness. If someone wants to give you a helping hand, take it.
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Never give up. Don’t take advantage of people’s goodness. If someone wants to give you a helping hand, take it. ~ Shannon Smith ~ 15
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Skills
“Equipping unemployed young people in Vrygrond to be engaged, inspired and contributing community members�
Youth Café Impact Since the opening of the Sozo Youth Café we have witnessed lives transformed, dignity restored and hope ignited in the lives of young people. We continually seek to build strong foundations into the lives of our students; teaching them skills to find employment and to live their lives with purpose and passion so that they will thrive in their careers as well as their personal lives. The Sozo Youth Café received a Gold Award at the 2017 Western Cape Department of Social Development Ministerial Youth Excellence Awards for “Creating Spaces for Identity and Belonging for Youth”. A total of 100 students graduated from the 1-4-1 Youth Café programme during 2017. We successfully linked 82% of our Alumni students to placements, and 48% of these placements resulted in gainful employment, while 28% of students accessed work in the informal economy and 6% of students re-entered the education sector. Our goal is to see every student who graduates from the Youth Café finding employment, internships or enrolling in further studies. Each student is placed in a career mentoring support group and receives a goal and career workbook. Since most of our students have never engaged in the workplace and have no previous work experience, we send every student on a one-week work placement for job shadowing. We have successfully partnered with local businesses who help us facilitate this process.
Life Skills The first month entails an interactive, informative and experiential life skills programme. We aim to use a variety of teaching styles to meet the learning needs of all our students. This month enables students to build soft skills and resilience before they engage in skills training. We draw on a variety of teaching material and professionals to assist with facilitation. A minimum of 75% attendance is required. During the programme, our students learn about Identity and Self-Esteem. They also engage in the Heartlife programme which helps to unlock their potential, dreams and purpose. The students learn how to deal with conflict, social issues, domestic abuse and health issues like HIV and Aids. Recognising the need for job readiness we teach interview skills, the importance of teamwork, leadership and personal finances. We also offer students the opportunity to study entrepreneurship through a 12-week entrepreneurial course hosted at the Sozo Centre by False Bay College facilitators. Students receive basic computer training at Vrygrond Community Labs and create their resume in Microsoft Word and learn how to use Microsoft PowerPoint and Excel programmes. Psychosocial support We aim to give our students the opportunity to transform their lives, and as such, we provided them with emotional support in partnership with Social Work students from the University of Cape Town (UCT). Each student under the age of 18 years was psychologically assessed to evaluate those who needed ongoing support from social workers during their year with us. This year student social workers have successfully run parenting and substance abuse support groups for our students.
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Skills Training Barista Stream Our interactive Barista training focuses on crucial Barista skills required so that our students complete the course with confidence in their skill set. Students learned the history of coffee, coffee regions, types of beans, harvesting and roasting processes. We took Barista students to visit a variety of coffee roasters in Cape Town, giving them valued insight into bean sourcing and roasting processes. Our students learned how to perfect the art of pouring the perfect espresso shot, milk texturing, frothing of milk and latte art and how to make different types of coffee drinks including chai lattes and red cappuccinos. Students learned how to set grinders, serve customers, and keep the coffee equipment safe and healthy for everyone. We partnered with local coffee shops who give job-shadowing opportunities to our Barista students including Knead, Joon Coffee, Lorenzo Marx and Expressions on the Beach. Graphic Design Stream Students learned the basics of Graphic Design using Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Premiere Pro. We recently revised and expanded our course material which now includes basics in Photography, Filming and Video Editing and Fabric Art. The students also created a fundraising video for the Sozo Isizwe camp and engaged in several school and community projects outside the classroom gaining hands-on experience. Students also worked on logo designs for local and international businesses and have developed individual design portfolios. Hair and Beauty Stream Professional hairdressers and a licensed beautician facilitated Master Training classes in partnership with Fringe Hair and Embrace Hair and Beauty Salon at our converted container salon. Students completed training in hair washing, head massage, blow-drying and hair-styling. Students gain exposure to all different types of hair and the treatment thereof. Our latest addition to the stream is ethnic and cultural which includes the art of hair extensions, braiding and styling. Students also received training in make-up, manicures, pedicures, hand and foot massage, and the basics of full-body massage. We provided each student with a toolkit upon graduation enabling them to engage in the entrepreneurial market within their community. Technical Steam The Technical workshop is situated at the New World Foundation in Vrygrond and is fully equipped with the tools and materials to give our students the best possible hands-on training experience. Students started the training with an introduction to health and safety which included an accredited two-day First Aid Course. Each student received safety boots and a technical work-suit. Students received practical instruction in carpentry, plumbing, electrics, building, tiling and painting. Upon graduation, each of the students received a toolbox with standard tools they can use in the informal entrepreneurial sector. Schools-Work In partnership with The Healing Heart Foundation, we imparted core life skills to high school learners in our local communities including Sibelius High School. Our skills training forms a central part of the Life Orientation syllabus. We impacted over 600 learners with Life skills in 2017.
Elana Cuyler Programme Manager
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Story of Hope Tracey Mungofa
Tracey Mungofa is a happy, bubbly young lady. Having completed her matric in Zimbabwe, she relocated to Cape Town, South Africa in 2014 and settled into the community of Vrygrond with her mom. After enquiring about the Sozo Youth Café and the different skills training offered, Tracey decided to sign up for the second cohort of 2017. Having had previous experience working for a coffee bean importer in Cape Town, Tracey chose the Barista skills stream. “The Sozo Youth Café is a unique place, the environment feels like you are in a different city and I knew that this opportunity would transform me for good,” Tracey told us. The warm and welcoming atmosphere at Sozo gave her a sense of belonging. She found it empowering to share her journey with other students because she felt safe to be vulnerable. Tracey felt a connection with other students as they shared their own life stories and challenges. She was motivated to work and achieve by her fellow Barista students and developed a hunger to get to know the espresso machine. Tracey is now a qualified Barista and has found employment at Expressions on the Beach as well as Casa Labia in Muizenberg. She is saving up to pursue a potential career in Printing and has already completed level one of Flexography training. She believes that the Youth Café skills training course gave her hope, enabling her to have a clear path in life. Tracey continues to grow her skills as a Barista and believes there is always more to learn. She lives by the language of coffee saying, “It is about quality, not quantity.”
The Sozo Youth Café is a unique place, the environment feels like you are in a different city and I knew that this opportunity would transform me for good, ~ Tracey Mungofa ~
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Story of Hope Garrison Kivido
Garrison Kivido graduated from Crestway High School in 2016 and enrolled for the first intake of Youth Café in 2017. He completed the one-month life skills programme and progressed to the skills development training choosing the Graphic Design stream. Garrison made good friends in his class and says, “It was an enriching experience to meet people from different backgrounds and to learn about other students’ dreams and how we all had different talents and abilities,” Garrison soon developed a passion for camera work and video editing. He found his Youth Café mentor to be a constant source of encouragement and motivation, teaching him that anything is possible if one works hard and the key to success lies in teamwork. Media Village offered Garrison an internship where he gained advanced skills in videography, video editing, and special effects. “I enjoyed learning about storytelling and how to use media for missions,” says Garrison. He gained experience working on movie sets and learned the skills of GRIP work and teamwork. Garrison has had the opportunity to travel, too. He loves meeting people from different backgrounds and listening to their stories. He has a dream to shoot international music and dance videos one day. Garrison believes that his skill set is a tool which opens up opportunities for him to learn more from others, making him a better person.
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It was an enriching experience to meet people from different backgrounds and to learn about other students’ dreams and how we all had different talents and abilities, ~ Garrison Kivido ~ 21
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“An abundant harvest of women leaders in the community who are self-sustaining, food-secure, organic vegetable gardeners.�
Eden Impact After extensive training from February to graduation in May 2017, five more home gardens have been established across five locations in Vrygrond. The graduation was celebrated with a meal and each woman was given a Planter Box hand-made by our Youth Café Technical Students. These five new gardeners join our existing home gardening community. At our mid-year celebration of this community of women Katrina Peterson was named “Best Home Gardener of the Year” and was presented with another planter box, compost and hand-tools to aid her in her new found skill. Sozo Eden partnered with Capricorn Primary School to train 59 children across two Grade 6 classes in the skill of urban farming. From 10 March the school children enjoyed Francisca’s hands-on approach to learning and together they planted the “Garden of Hope” where before lay only dirt and rubble. Three trench beds have produced bunches of fresh, organic spinach, cabbage, onion, beetroot and turnips. A group of volunteers from England, were put to work and upcycled some second hand wooden pallets to create windbreaks and a fence for the garden. They also brightened up the garden by painting the tyre containers. Sozo Eden has successfully trained 64 children between the ages of five to 7-years-old in vegetable gardening. Our team has set up a trench bed, created a compost heap and a sheet-mulch bed. The staff of Sunrise Educare Centre were inspired and set up a potato planter. The bountiful harvest of peas and other super-sized organic vegetables were used by the Centres kitchen to feed the children.
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Staff from Brimstone Empowerment Share Trust joined Sozo Eden for their 67 minutes of giving back to the community on Mandela Day through some intensive gardening. Using the compost created by the Capricorn Primary School children they created a fourth Trench Bed at in the Garden of Hope which now boasts pumpkin and marrows as part of its bounty. Later that day volunteers from Butterfly Arts Project painted a beautiful mural of vegetable characters with the heading “Garden of Hope” on the wall of the garden. Staff from Bloomberg’s Cape Town office volunteered a day’s labour in November to create a vegetable garden for our neighbours Butterfly Arts Project, this garden will grow food for the nutrition needs in their art programmes amongst children in the Vrygrond community. August is women’s month so Eden gathered their Home Gardening Ladies and treated them to a pamper session. The Youth Café baristas served them coffee along with rusks, biscuits and fresh fruit for breakfast. The highlight of the event was the pamper session: each woman was treated to a manicure, pedicure and a hair-wash and blow-dry by our very own Sozo Youth Café Hair and Beauty students. Mamma Victoria was brought to tears by the act of kindness saying “I can’t believe this is happening to me.” A healthy lunch of chicken and salad was served to the ladies and after eating together they did not want the day to end. In July 2017, Francisca Jeftha was offered the opportunity of a lifetime. The Frank Jackson Foundation generously sponsored a staff exchange program between Sozo Eden and the Irish Seed Savers Association (ISSA) based in County Clare, Ireland. This would be a first-time international travel experience for Francisca. Once all travel preparations were made she was off on an 11-hour flight and was warmly welcomed by Jo, her counterpart in Ireland, who generously hosted her for the week. Francisca spent time at ISSA, was taken on a visit to Mona’s Cow and Goat Cheese Farm and other vegetable farms in and around Scariff and was introduced to Anita Heyns, founder of ISSA. She was also taken to town to do some sightseeing and shopping. In her travel journal she mentions the beauty of the gardens, the abundance of vegetables growing and the apple orchards unique to ISSA. Jo took Francisca to the Cliffs of Mohor, the Cascades and to visit the Young People’s Community Garden. One of the highlights for Francisca was repotting strawberries and eating bangers and mash at the Pub. Programme Manager Steve Morris
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Story of Hope Francisca Jeftha
We are thrilled to report that our Eden Project Co-ordinator was offered the opportunity in July 2017 to take part in a Staff Exchange Programme. The programme funded by the Frank Jackson Foundation enabled an exchange between the Sozo Foundation and Irish Seed Savers Association. Francisca’s experience comes to life when you read extracts from her travel diary: “It’s so different here in County Clare, Ireland: big open spaces, green hills, long winding single lanes, houses far from each other on big open lands. Travelling so far for the first time in my young life to a strange country where people are so kind and welcoming is amazing. Visiting people with Jo is like doing follow-up visits at Sozo. I am so encouraged by everything that is created from nothing on the farms. It’s very inspiring. I feel very blessed to be in this beautiful country with all these people who have one goal: to preserve the earth. I believe it is because of what Sozo aims to achieve that we have this awesome connection. I have learned a lot: not just about gardening, but I've grown tremendously. I never thought I would cope in a strange country but getting around Dublin airport was easy. I am lost for words of gratitude. We are so grateful for this opportunity and are encouraged in all we have been able to learn from the beautiful Irish countryside.
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I am so encouraged by everything that is created from nothing on the farms. It’s very inspiring ~ Francisca Jeftha ~
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”
Impact
27
Educentre
452
94%
Pass Rate for 2017
10 545
Hours of Tutoring Provided
85
94
Social Work Assessments
Learners
Nutritious Meals Provided
94%
Attendance Rate for 2017
Grade 12 results: 86% Pass rate
92%
Post schooling opportunities
5
Diploma Passes
28
7
Bachelor’s Passess
3
Sow-it-forward as a volunteer tutor
Youth CafĂŠ
10
Youth Mentors Employed
1385
82%
of 100 Graduates Placed in Employment or Further Study
Out of school: 100 In school: 1225
3800 Hours of Job Shadowing
29
Eden
5
124
New Organic Home Vegetable Gardens in Vrygrond in 2017
Children Who Learned How to Grow Organic Vegetables
5
New Organic Vegetable Gardens at Primary schools and Crèches
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Fundraising The Sozo Foundation actively fundraises in South Africa, the UK and Europe. Our fundraising Sources include: • Foundations and Trusts • Corporate Social Investment • Churches • Individuals • Self-Generated Income If you require any further information regarding fundraising, please email fundraising@thesozofoundation.org.za. Over the last year, with the help of our donors, the Sozo Foundation has invested R5,658,767 into Vrygrond, equipping and empowering the community to live with dignity, purpose and hope. Income received from Individuals, 20% of our total income, includes donations from three different online giving platforms: Stewardship (UK), Givengain (Global) and MySchool (South Africa). These platforms provide an excellent opportunity to support our work. A huge thank you to our wide range of donors who provide not only monetary support but also capacity building in the form of Personnel Training and Strategic Development – your continued support enables us to transform the community of Vrygrond. The Western Cape Department of Social Development have continued their financial support this year and continue to be a supporter of our impact in the community. Donations and Grants continue to be our main source of income, with much of the year focused on developing the relationships with our donors into multi-year partnerships. Please go to www.thesozofoundation.org.za/give to find out how to support our work.
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Finances The Sozo Foundation files its consolidated accounts with the Non-Profit Organisation Directorate of South Africa. The financial year end is 28 February. The ZAR expenditure is extracted from the full 2017-2018 annual financial statements. These accounts have been audited by Vantage Chartered Accountants (SA) & Registered Auditors. The full 2017-2018 annual financial statements can be found on our website at: www.thesozofoundation.org.za. For further information please contact finance@thesozofoundation.org.za.
Income 2017-2018 Income 2017-2018 Donations and Grants Individuals Golf Day Interest Received Self-Generated Income Total
(R) 3 933 753 1 018 871 25 132 39 903 67 905 5 085 564
Expenditure 2017-2018 Central Administration Youth Café Educentre Eden Total
(R) 2 140 111 1 587 553 1 227 213 452 443 5 407 320
Expenditure 2017-2018
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Donors & Partners We would like to thank the following people and Organisations for their contributions to our work: Bay City Church Bloomberg Brimstone Investments Care and Relief for the Young (CRY) Christian Revival Church (CRC) London Chrobok family Claude Leon Foundation Community Chest of the Western Cape Community Church Chaord Hundred Connect Network Constantia Open Gardens Empower Frank Jackson Foundation GMS Systems Heart Brands Kerk in Actie Nedbank Private Wealth Charitable Foundation Rolf-Stephen Nussbaum Foundation Rotary Club of Claremont Selley Family TNA Foundation Western Cape Department of Social Development
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TO MY DEAREST SOZO FAMILY, MY NEW-FOUND TRIBE ~ A Poem by Kirsty Turnbull - UK volunteer ~ Thank you for your unconditional love, acceptance and phenomenal vibe Each one of you I treasure, you’re one of a kind, A team such as this, only once in a lifetime you find. The moment I arrived I was welcomed into the fold, The stunning Sozo building was truly a thing to behold! At the gate, Menes and Elijah keep danger at bay, Only ever taking a break to grab a cupcake when it’s someone’s “Happy Birthday!” Our smiling assassins, reducing all manner of risk, They’re well versed in the sign-out policy and the importance of being frisked. Our receptionists, Meagan and Melissa are always ready to give you the biggest Sozo welcome No matter who you are or where you come from, They man that desk like their lives depend on it, Despite the Baltic conditions, come rain or shine they sit. This place is ALIVE with hustle and bustle, Only with the printer, milky tea bags, dirty dishes, van or Kimmy do we have the occasional tussle. Sherena, Mamie, Sola, Melecia and Jaco, Thank you for keeping us in shape, to the ends of the earth you go. I thank the Lord above for Sharmain and Kate, Without you two Sozo would be in the red, there’s no debate. Thank you for schooling me in excel and supporting our fundraising, I’ve never loved a finance team more; you girls are truly amazing! The Youth Café Team, our true believers in second chances, After a long week of fostering dreams they enjoy their Zumba dances, I never thought I’d envy –I was shocked indeed, The ability to assemble sandwiches at such lightning speed! You guys are wonderful role models for the youth of Vrygrond, So proud of you guys, of each one I am fond. Neville, you light up a room with your contagious laughter and fun, I saw the joy in your heart when the green team won! Your coffee is the stuff of legends, without it we couldn’t survive, I’m so excited to follow your journey, to watch you thrive. And then there’s the beautiful Eden girls –both inside and out. God has incredible plans for you ladies, I have no doubt. What treasures you’ve created amongst this dry land, Creating a beautiful oasis in spite of the Vrygrond sand.
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Educentre team, you are such a delight, Even though when I first arrived Lola and Gizelle gave me quite a fright How little then, did I assume to know, About the passion you had to see our Sozonites grow. With righteous love, courage and pursuit for education, It is individuals such as yourselves that will transform our nation. Of course this silly poem could never be complete, Without a shout out to my people (Keenan and SHASH) – What an honour to meet (you)! You are not simply acquaintances, colleagues or even friends, You are family, living breathing proof of the blessings God sends. This is not a goodbye, I know I’ll be seeing you soon, I’ll just miss our songs of the day, krumping, and collectively acting like buffoons, NEH Finally, to the CEO team- Arlene, Steve, Diana, Anton and Elana, Thank you for your obedience to God and staying strong through the occasional drama. I hope that one day I can stand tall and confidently say, That I followed my dreams the Sozo way
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Contact us The Sozo Foundation 1115 Vrygrond Avenue Vrygrond Muizenberg Cape Town South Africa 7945 +27 (21) 825 5529 admin@thesozofoundation.org.za NPO 036 344 PBO 930 013 534
Donate
Bank: Standard Bank Account Name: The Sozo Foundation Trust Account Number: 072 043 776 Branch: Blue Route Branch Code: 025 609 Swift Code: SBZAZAJJ
Follow us www.thesozofoundation.org.za