Afrika Tikkun UK Quarterly Newsletter

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Afrika Tikkun UK Quarterly Newsletter

Published on: May 22nd, 2023

2023 is in full force with Afrika Tikkun working just as hard to ensure that all our young people and their families in South Africa get the support and services that they need. As a result, we are an organization driven by conscious leaders, focusing on developing young people from Cradle-to-Career while building an environment of trust, values and unwavering ethics. The transformational work done at Afrika Tikkun has not gone unnoticed and the 2022 statistics below are a testimate to the love we are able to spread through our work. Thank you for making all of this possible! 

Check out some of the wonderful things that happened at Afrika Tikkun from January to March. 
Technology Transforms Lives (TTL) Programme  

Graduation of TTL Class of 2022  
 
A huge congratulations goes to our TTL Class of 2022 who had their graduation on 29 March 2023 at our Uthando Centre in Johannesburg. The event was met with great enthusiasm and excitement as 46 graduates received their certifications. The TTL programme is part of the Afrika Tikkun and Belron charitable partnership that focuses on going above and beyond when it comes to ensuring our young people receive the necessary qualifications to succeed in the job arena. Our greatest appreciation goes to Belron for their unwavering support and commitment to the Technology Transforms Lives programme.

“I can’t tell you how proud I am of these young people […] and how honored I am to be present at their graduation and see them getting ready to face the next important stage in their lives. Of all the students enrolled in our 2022 programme, all of them have graduated today with good qualifications in data analysis, cloud development and cloud administration. We have also mentored them to get them ready for the real working world, giving them guidance and tips that will enable them to put their best foot forward and set them on the path towards a better future.”

– Phil Pavitt, Group Technology and Transformation Officer, Belron.  

2023 will be the third year of the TTL programme and continues to be a collaborative effort between Belron Employees and candidates of the ICT Academy, operated by Afrika Tikkun Services (ATS), with the aim to connect Belron employees with information technology experience with young people while they complete their qualifications. With the committed and collaborative effort from Belron, Afrika Tikkun Foundation and ATS, the TTL programme has gone from strength to strength. 2023 is no different with 120 candidates split between two cohorts and 28 Belron employees signing up as mentors! The induction and training of the mentees took place on 29 March 2023 at the ATS offices in Randburg. We look forward to another exciting year of Technology Transforms Lives!

Technology Transforms Lives: Running for Impact Fundraiser

To continue to deepen the impact of TTL, three of Belron’s Technology and Transformation leadership team (Guy Johnson, Felix Stauber and Anthony Foust) ran half-marathons in three different countries (South Africa, the United States and United Kingdom) to raise more funds for the programme. A dedicated JustGiving page has been set up and is still live and running. If you would like to support TTL with a donation, please click here. Any donation would be fantastic!

The President’s Award

The President’s Award is still ongoing and continues to reach new heights. In the first few months of 2023, the young people completed their Adventurous Journeys (AJ) and have managed to complete their bronze level and are now about to graduate and move onto the silver level!

Hear more about Anitha Mfundisi’s AJ experience 

“I learned that in life, you don’t give up even though you face challenges […] because, on the mountain, I remember that I fell 5 times but I stood up and hit the road. So in life even if you fall, you don’t give up and the main thing that kept me going [was the] people hiking with me. They helped me so much and for you to be where you want to be in life, you must include people who are positive about something and socialize with people who want to do good. Teamwork is always the best because when we were hiking, we were always together helping each other and singing along so we did not feel the road trip difficulties. 

Lastly, it’s true when they say, ‘Practice makes things perfect’. The next day of the hike was not difficult at all because I think it helps me a lot to fall and push.”  

Agripreneurship

Our 2022 Agripreneurs are well into their work experiences with many of them beginning to generate their own income streams and the recruitment for the 2023 cohort is underway. The agripreneurial revolution has not slowed down at Afrika Tikkun.  

Centre Visits

Carglass Germany – Arekopaneng (Orange Farm) and Wings of Life (Diepsloot) Centres  

Stonehage Fleming – Phuthaditjaba (Alexandra) and Uthando (Braamfontein) Centres  

Carglass Netherlands – Zolile Malindi (Mfuleni) Centre

Belron International – Arekopaneng (Orange Farm), Wings of Life (Diepsloot), Phuthaditjaba (Alexandra) and Uthando (Braamfontein) Centres. 

Some quotes from our visitors!

“This trip inspired me tremendously and it made me realize that happiness can be found everywhere. The gratitude, appreciation and love [were] in abundance and all this I will carry with me for the rest of my life!”

 Ginio Gill – Technician Capelle a/d IJssel, Carglass Netherlands
“The work on the farm in Diepsloot has awakened in me the need to be a role model, simply to show what is possible when one pursues a goal”.
 
“It was a lasting experience for me that taught me again to appreciate even small things and that it really doesn’t take much to make a big difference”.

If you would like to visit any one of our centres and spend time with our young people and centre staff, please reach out to us on infouk@afrikatikkun.org. We hope to see you all soon! 

Young Person Spotlight

Here are some wonderful updates from some of our young people who traveled to the United Kingdom and Köln, Germany last year.  

Joster Chauke

Joster travelled to Köln, Germany for the Carglass Germany Triathlon in September 2022 and was able to run 10 km (about 6.21 mi) in 14 minutes! Apart from his exceptional athletic ability, Joster is also an avid artist. Check out some of his wonderful art.   

Eza Mpalisa

Eza travelled to the United Kingdom for the 2022 Spirit of Belron Challenge and ran the 5km. Below is her reflection on her visit.


If you would like to continue to support the work we do at Afrika Tikkun, please click below.