That’s all of you who live our dream of affecting the lives of unemployed youth so positively. 2020 seems to have a different feeling to previous years. There is a sense of optimism, a positive spin that “things” will get better. Power outages are now seen as a step towards reducing global warming! Our Miss Universe, Ms Zozibini Tunzi, does not just want world peace, she talks with a real South African passion for global change, believing her role can help celebrate diversity. We have swallowed hard and accepted the pain and negative impact that years of corruption has brought us. We laud concepts such as integrity and honesty and are ready to take on the responsibility for building a better South Africa.
Thanks to your incredible generosity and support, we at Afrika Tikkun continue to demonstrate the effectiveness of our Cradle to Career model.
By all accounts, there were many little confident girls and boys entering Grade 1 this year; our results show that by December 2019, 89% of our Grade Rs were ready for school, well exceeding our target of 75%. Our Saturday School programme for Grades 10-12 proved a much-appreciated service as 846 school-going young people attended regularly, exceeding the set target of 250. We are thrilled that our 2019 Matric learners received a 92% matric pass rate, with 49% of them achieving university exemption.
We continue to make small but meaningful dents in the overall picture of unemployment in South Africa; by December 2019, a total of 3,192 young people were skilled in basic employability (work readiness) and industry specific skills, while 1 767 (55%) were placed in work-related positions, far surpassing our target of 1,000 economic opportunity placements.
Overall, in the year 2019, we are proud to have impacted the lives of over 12 500 young people and their families, ensuring that their educational, skills, physical, nutritional, family and psychosocial developmental needs are met.
These amazing achievements set the tone and a high bar for 2020. However, we are more than ready to rise to the challenge. The incredible momentum we see on the horizon for 2020 will set the pace for years to come.
We are so grateful you trusted us over the last 25 years to carry on the legacy of our founders and build a better world together.
I am thrilled, I am humbled and I am in awe to be an integral part of this togetherness!
MARC LUBNER
