Our flagship strategy, the Path Onto Prosperity (POP) Programme, caters to the needs of children at different stages of their lives, starting with the first 1 000 days until adulthood.
OUR VISION
The Path Onto Prosperity (POP) Programme seeks to transform rural communities by presenting children and young adults with opportunities to become healthy, self-confident, educated and skilful members of their communities.
OUR MISSION
The Path Onto Prosperity Programme follows an Asset Based Community Development approach. Through this approach we focus on the development of community strengths and initiatives by making community members real partners in development opposed to passive recipients. This programme has been commended by evaluators as mirroring the Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR) matrix of the World Health Organisation, that is supported by UNESCO and the ILO.
OUR GOAL
Farm working communities of the Western Cape have long been trapped in the cycle of generational poverty. Many present-day social issues are a result of grave injustices of the past. Great strides have been made since South Africa became a democratic country, but it’s devastating and lasting effect on society is evident.
Because one good project alone is not enough to help farm working communities break the cycle of generational poverty, the Trust developed several interlinked programmes accessible to all rural children and rural youth.
OUR IMPACT
Statistics show that 95% of children used to drop out of school by their fifth year of education - now children who participate in our POP programmes go to high school and stay until they have reached their highest potential. Many children who have participated in our programmes also continued their studies on tertiary level.
We have seen a substantial drop in early teenage pregnancies - POP graduates in their mid-twenties are now starting families as sober and attentive young mothers who are able to care for and nurture their babies beautifully. Math results of children in our POP programmes improved by an average of 17% from 2018 to 2019.
We keep a close eye on children’s behaviour and Body Mass Index to identify possible health or social issues to be refered to our social work department. For more information see the POP 2018 M&E report.
Working to Scale - Given the scale of rural poverty and the hopelessness found in so many rural villages, it is clear that the POP programme had to be replicable. Replication however, carries with it the dangers of rapid expansion, quantity over quality, and the costs of maintaining the work long term. Sustainability therefore needs to be taken into account.