Our Programmes
Township Roots has developed initiatives aimed at bolstering literacy and enhancing educational growth for third and fourth-grade students. The organization advocates for children to become proficient in reading in their native language during the foundational years before transitioning to English in the fourth grade. They emphasize that a lack of proficiency in reading for comprehension in one's first language may negatively impact academic success in subsequent years.
The programs established by Township Roots have garnered increasing support from local school communities and are part of a larger national effort to improve educational outcomes in South Africa. Township Roots works collaboratively, contributing to the transformation of literacy rates, reducing school dropout rates, and reforming the broader educational landscape in the country.
Education Interventions
Township Roots runs four different after-school programmes to empower township learners and allow them to experience the safe, fun and meaningful school careers that all children should enjoy, regardless of their socioeconomic backgrounds.
Currently working with five primary- and ten high schools, Township Roots supports schools which lack the facilities and resources to provide sports, arts and social development opportunities for their learners. These schools are also often unable to provide individual attention and support for children who are falling behind academically or who are struggling with personal or family issues endemic to those living in poverty.
To support these schools Township Roots runs the following programmes:
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Literacy strengthening in the form of reading clubs - Primary School Initiative
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South African Schools Academic Performance Awards (SASAPA) - for more info about this programme visit www.sasapa.org - High School Initiative
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Sports and physical skills development - Primary School Initiative
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Performing arts classes
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Primary School Initiative
Selected as part of a holistic approach, these programmes help Township Roots staff to not only identify and close educational gaps, but nurture non-academic capabilities too, ensuring that children develop the practical and psychosocial skills they need to stay in school while fostering talents and skills that fall outside the basic school curriculum.
Through these four programmes and regular educational excursions, Township Roots shows children life beyond their poverty-stricken existence and inspires them to reach for something more.