Thank you for visiting the Fund Raising page for the Philippolis Learning Centre in South Africa.
The tiny Karoo settlement of Philippolis is the newest teaching placement destination for Africa & Asia Venture (AV), located in the middle of and surrounded by hundreds of miles of rolling hills and grassland. The semi-arid Karoo region is beautiful and remote but its human settlements are well out of the mainstream of South Africa’s economic activity. Jobs are scarce, the HIV/Aids rate is appallingly high and there are few social services for the thousands of under-privileged people living here. Their one real hope of escaping the poverty trap lies in providing a sound education for their children.
Kate Groch, the dynamic educator who runs AV’s volunteer programme in Philippolis, has identified the educational needs of the Philippolis community and is driving the building of a new learning centre in the Bergmanshoogte district. Two classrooms and a kitchen are currently being built, largely with funds raised through the AV Foundation. The classrooms will be used for adult learning and literacy classes in the morning and school homework sessions in the afternoon. Parenting, first aid and conservation classes will also be conducted here whilst the new kitchen will be the base for community feeding schemes.
To date £1500 has been raised for this project through the sponsorship efforts of an AV team who participated in Kenya’s Lewa Marathon in June 2008. In total we are hoping to raise £6500 to complete and provide equipment for this much needed centre. The Phillipolis Learning Centre is expected to be complete by early 2009 and will be a testament to the positive impact made by AV volunteers who dedicate their time to help teach the children of this needy community.
Donating through Justgiving is quick, easy and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to raise money for the Philippolis Learning Centre. The AV Foundation gets your money faster and, if you’re a UK taxpayer, Justgiving makes sure 25% in Gift Aid, plus a 3% supplement, are added to your donation. Alternatively, please send a cheque made payable to the AV Foundation ("Philippolis Learning Centre" on the back) and send it to c/o Africa & Asia Venture, 10 Market Place, Devizes, Wiltshire,SN10 1HT.
We will report back to you on progress of the building. In the meantime, very many thanks for your support.