Paternoster Volunteer Project - Encouraging children in South Africa

 
“No child in Paternoster should be ever without a dream!” 

Since 2016 the German foundation “Kinder fördern – Zukunft stiften“ is working for this main idea in the little village “Paternoster” located at the northern west coast of South Africa. The residents of Paternoster were living on fishing over generations. Due to the climate change and the overstrung fishing quota, the significance of fishing decreases. In addition to that there are not a lot of alternative income sources. The consequences of this lack of prospects are huge. Crime rates and drug traffic are increasing. Early pregnancies, gang warfare, AIDS and famines are the result. On the one hand all those circumstances are impairing the tourism in Paternoster but on the other hand especially the children of Paternoster are the sufferers. A lack of education and a life on street is the best requirement to get involved with alcohol and drugs. All in all, this situation causes helpless, depressive and spacy children with slight chances to get out of that bad circle. 

 

“Taking care, attending, giving perspectives and supporting” – This is the aim of students from Germany and South Africa. They go to Paternoster to yield their knowledge and make their own experiences at the same time. This happens in a daily “Afternoon Program” instructed by a team of German and South African volunteers. The program is taking place in a “Kidshouse”. Each day 80-90 children are supposed to have a protected developing area where they can spend their afternoons without any sorrows from home. Besides that, the risk for them to hang out at places that are not child-friendly is decreasing. As a long-term aim, we want to give them various future perspectives and the support they need to get out of this nearly inevitable environment. 

The “Afternoon Program” consists of a bunch of workshops and proposals for the children to find out their strengths and to give them important live skills. They have a choice of dancing, singing, making music, arts and crafts, sewing, learning languages, acting and homework support.