e-Uxolo
Periodic Newsletter of the Quaker Peace Centre

 
Vol. 1, no. 1
August 2005

Dear Friend

The Quaker Peace Centre is growing from strength to strength and is engaged in exciting projects that make a difference to many.

The Quaker Peace Centre has taken an active and strategic step to concentrate its activities in Delft as we found that it was under serviced compared to other areas. Delft is a large township east of the Cape Town International Airport and has been developed into an urban area over the past 10 years. It is an area where people from different cultural backgrounds are forced to live together. As in other townships, socio-economic conditions are poor and residents experience problems with unemployment, gansterism, child abuse and violence against women.


Strategic Priority - Diversity Management / Anti-Bias

Diversity

This project aims to address racism and prejudice in schools. While the ultimate intention is to target nine schools in the Delft, we have started with one primary school where learners, educators and some parents will participate as separate focus groups. The learning material is tailor-made for participants, and is being developed as the needs of the respective groups are identified.


Strategic Priority - Promoting Competence at Peace-Building

Youth at Risk

Our current level of violence in communities is a clear indication that young people are more than likely to land on the wrong side of the law. This project is aimed at reducing that probability. Educators have identified 20 learners at a primary school in the Delft who they claim display behavioural problems. In collaboration with other key service providers, the Quaker Peace Centre offers a range of interventions, thereby providing a more holistic, remedial programme. Partners in this programme are Creative Education With Youth At Risk (Cred), Celebrating Children, Resources Aimed At The Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (Rapcan), the National Institute for Crime Prevention and Reintegration of Offenders - Western Cape (Nicro) and a movement therapist. This project is scheduled to end in October with the production of a mural.


Positive Discipline

When corporal punishment was abolished in schools, educators were not equipped to deal with issues relating to discipline in classes. This project was developed to address this need and seeks to inculcate a culture of respect among learners and educators, and to promote a positive self-image within participants. Numerous requests are being received for this project. A primary school in Mitchell's Plain has just completed a 20 hour session with our Positive Discipline programme. The Cape Peninsula University of Technology has included positive discipline in its second year curriculum for student teachers as a compulsory module. The University has also included it in its fourth year advanced curriculum course for teachers. We are excited by this acknowledgement and recognition of our Positive Discipline programme.


Other Activities

The Quaker Peace Centre has taken on the following activities as strategic interventions for creating peace in South Africa.

Herbs and Food Processing

We are offering workshops in the use of herbs and workshops in food processing to people infected or affected by HIV/Aids. It is targeted at the urban renewal sites of Khayelitsha and Mitchell's Plain. The workshops are very well received by participants and we experience a stream of interested people. The programme is coordinated by the Western Cape - Networking AIDS Community of South Africa and partner organisations are Abalimi Bezekhaya, the Khayelitsha Education Resources and Information Centre, Lifeline/Childline Western Cape, Partners with After School Care Project, Philani Nutrition Centre, Prosperity Youth Centre and U-Managing Conflict.

Jet Community Awards

Jet Stores seek to award organisations for their work in various communities. The Quaker Peace Centre humbly accepted this reward during 2004. We have now been invited to assist them as a panellist during this year’s competition. Together with their team, we visited numerous projects in South and Southern Africa. The final prize-giving ceremony will take place in Gauteng on 6 October this year.

Quaker Peace Centre supports the appointment of a civil society representative to the Council for the Non-Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction.

Give now

You may use your credit card to give to the work of the Quaker Peace Centre. Go to www.givenow.org and type Cape Town into the search field which will bring you to the Cape Town Quaker Peace Centre Committee.

More about the Quaker Peace Centre

Please visit our website www.quaker.org/capetown

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Please e-mail Martin Struthmann at martin@qpc.org.za if you wish to subscribe or unsubscribe to this newsletter.