Womb to Tomb

Apartheid created a generation of individuals with a low self-esteem, a sense of hopelessness, fragmented family structures, and many other social evils.

Based in George,at the south western tip of South Africa, an organisation was born to change the mind set of people, and help them to use their own God Given abilities and talents to make a change and turn the tide.

In partnership with YearBeyond, George East Ministers Fraternal, the Independent Development Trust, The Dept of Public Works and Transport (EPWP Programme), Damstadt Baptist Church (Germany) and the Gospel Tabernacle Baptist Church (USA), Womb To Tomb Development Centre is creating job opportunities for unemployed persons and raising up a new generation, who is lifting up the standard in their own
communities.

Womb to Tomb Development Centre was started in 2006 as a solution to combat the social evils in communities within the George East area.
At the conclusion of the 2009 Poverty Summit; Stats SA profiled that although Eden District is one of the fastest growing areas, poverty, crime and other social issues are also on the increase.
There is a growth in households, which does not include the backyard dwellers. Because of this, the area has extreme poverty, major substance abuse, which leads to domestic violence and a high percentage of alcohol foetal children. Due to its high unemployment, there is an increase in crime within this area.
Since its inception, this organisation has developed a work opportunity programme with relevant stakeholders and has built up a good track record.
To date we have previously unemployed beneficiaries working in the organisation

Although George is set along the well know Garden Route, and considered to be a well-functioning, modern peri urban area, the townships surrounding this town are filled with unemployment, crime, poverty and a lack of good programmes that address the diversity and needs of the broader communities.
Despite the above fact, there are many children and young people within these communities who have a great desire to free themselves from poverty and reach their full potential.
These are the children and young people who are willing to educate themselves and excel in their schooling,
so that they can exploit entrepreneurial or work opportunities once they have completed.

Womb to Tomb Development Centre has a partnership with the George East Ministers Fraternal.
The George East Ministers Fraternal is a body of approximately 20 interdenominational churches in George East. It also has a partnership with Independent Development Trust and the Expanded Public Work programme. This nonprofit organization, in partnership with other stakeholders in the area, has committed themselves to deliver human development and basic needs programmes to these communities.

Our objectives are to build confidence and self-esteem amongst the youth and children through education, cultural and entrepreneurial development through holistic intervention strategies. All the programmes are co-ordinated by beneficiaries through the IDT/EPWP programme. Womb to Tomb has a good track record within the community, and has sound financial systems. The directors are credible persons within the community and have strong leadership qualities, to ensure that skills transfer and mentorship is part of the training.

Objectives:

To develop effective programmes that make a markable impact on the conditions of the poor and vulnerable.
To improve the lives of children, households and the community as a whole.
Strengthening families to cope with situations that cause vulnerability.
To be a transparent, accountable, sustainable and responsible organization.

AFTER SCHOOL CARE

We have five after school centres impacting
200 children between the ages of 5 and 15. Many of our learners are in Grade 7 and cannot read, write or do maths. The after school centres provide assistance with school projects, reading and maths classes, as well as computer literacy.
We also provide a hot meal after school, as this might be the only meal the child eats for the day.

TEACHER AIDS

45–60 children in a class with one teacher, makes learning almost impossible. It is for this reason that many children become dropouts. We provide teacher aids in 10 schools in our area. These teacher aids assist the class teacher and can love and work with those who are struggling with various learning areas in the curriculum, thus making it possible for them to reach their full potential.

EARLY CHILDHOOD LEARNING CENTRES

Nelson Mandela once said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” Wise words spoken, but even more specifically, early learning education is a far greater tool for success. Studies have shown that a child’s earliest years of development are the most critical. The vast majority of neurons are developed between birth and age three, as this is the brain’s peak capacity to retain new information. Since children are most receptive to information at a young age, early learning exposure plays an essential role in fostering mental
development.
We are involved in 10 Early Childhood Learning Centres in our community.

FUNERAL SERVICES

Affordable funeral policies for community. Many in the community do not have a funeral policy, and when death comes, they do not have enough money to bury their loved ones. This policy pays out cash (depending on the amount of the policy), this money is enough to bury the loved one, and provide much needed assistance in the home.

THE YEARBEYOND PROGRAMME

Introduction to YearBeyond - YearBeyond, or YeBo is a bridge to a brighter future. It is a youth-in-service partnership between Government, the Community Chest of the Western cape, donors and Womb to Tomb Development Centre. YeBo provides 18 - 25 year-olds with a meaningful work experience and a pathway to further studies or work. YeBo also encourages a culture of active citizenship and volunteerism.

The Catch-Up Programme Stream - The YearBeyond Literacy and Numeracy Cath-Up Programme works with low- and no-fee public schools, supporting Grade 3 and 4 learners (achieving codes 2 to 4) in closing their foundational literacy and numeracy gaps. The programme improves academic outcomes (higher progression, fewer dropouts, etc) and non-academic outcomes (increased self-esteem, confidence, etc)
The WCED @HomeLearning Programme Stream - The YearBeyond WCED @HomeLearning Programme is a community-based initiative that strengthens support for learners from low- and no-fee public primary schools. The programme promotes a culture of learning and provides targeted support to prevent at-risk learners from dropping out.
The Scouting in schools Programme Stream - The YearBeyond Scouting in Schools Programme is a partnership between YearBeyond and SCOUTS South Africa. The programme targets Grade 5 - 6 learners in low-and no-fee public schools and equips learners with life skills, fosters a love for nature, and promotes active citizenship.
The Little Explorers Early Childhood Development Programme Stream - This programme is to build literacy and physical foundations for pre-school children by encouraging a love of stories and supporting gross motor skills development.

SENIOR CITIZENS

Each week the seniors get together and we provide programmes to enhance them, as well as feed them a meal. Many of our seniors have never been out of George so we organise an annual trip to expose them to the beauties of our country.

NUTRITIONAL CENTRES

We provide a cooked meal three days a week at the Nutritional centre.

CLOTHES BANK

At this shop, the community can purchase brand new, up market clothes for a very low price.
These clothes were donated to the project by a business person from Holland

HOME BASED CARE

There are many sick people left alone at home. There are also many of them who live alone at home. The home based care team goes into the community on a daily basis to assist the aged and the sick by washing them, performing medical duties, personal care and spending some reading time with them.

FOOD SECURITY

We presently have 10 food gardens in our community, providing food security to our after school centres and other needy families.
UNISA has sponsored us with 25 bursaries for beneficiaries to study food security. As part of this accredited diploma course, each student is to create 3 gardens, ensuring that we will grow into approximately 85 gardens.
(Dept of Agriculture is a partner in this project)

ARTS AND CRAFTS

High Quality, Cost effective crafts made and sold as part of our self sustainability strategy. Sustainable Livelihood Programme - This is a partnership with Department of Social Development. We provide holistic development and a hot meal for 250 beneficiaries every day.

THE GLOW KIDS AND TWEENGLOW AFTERCARE PROGRAMME

This programme ensures that children a re kept in a safe space. They provide homework support, life skills training, spiritual enrichment and lots of fun.

SEW HAPPY PRIMARY SEWING CO-OPERATIVE

We started this initiative in 2016, and to date we provide school uniforms and other branded articles to schools, businesses and churches. We have a fully functional shop in the centre of town.

HOME IMPROVEMENT

Our maintenance teams are active in:

Maintaining school gardens
Maintaining church buildings
Renovating and painting single headed family homes
Fixing up homes that have been burned
Paving school play areas
Building roads where needed
Building homes for the homeless

LIFE SKILL CAMPS

Many of our children are at risk and these camps provide them with a stimulating environment, shelter and food while teaching them various skills so that they can escape the daily abuse in their homes.

GOLF COURSE

We identified a site within the community where there was high crime. It is situated between two townships with a railway line adjacent to it. We also identified that although George is known as a golfing mecca, there is no local golf course where our kids could learn this skill. We cleaned this piece of land, and in partnership with other golfing stakeholders, a golf course was designed and now the children in the community come on a daily basis not only to learn but to put this skill into practice as an alternative to the negative influences in the communities.

DANCE AND DRAMA

A skill that is used to have fun.

CHESS

A game that provides brain stimulation and teaches them to think.

HOLIDAY CLUBS

We provide holiday clubs during the school holidays reaching over 400 children every holiday season.

WELLNESS PROGRAMME

Partnership with Dept of Health. We provide a wellness programme with the Silver Threads - a group of senior citizens, to ensure that their blood levels, sugar levels and other health issues are catered for. The Family Fitness club is assisting children to become aware of their health from a young age.