We are very pleased to announce that our South Africa pilots have officially begun! We have hit the ground running at Monte Christo Miqlat (MCM). This pilot will serve roughly 15-20 students and is being held from October 10 – 20. As with all of our programs, the students will be taught photography skills through a series of workshops conducted in English. This will begin to improve their language skills, photography skills, and technological skills. Not to mention the countless soft skills they will learn, such as leadership, team building, and responsibility!

MCM is a community development organization in the Drakenstein region of the Western Cape in South Africa. The organization follows a holistic development approach based on health, community care centers, sports, and homeless care. MCM serves poor and homeless youth that are brought to the center in order to combat unemployment, molestation, and gangsterism in the community. The education sector of MCM serves primary and secondary children, as well as preschool children aged 3 months to 5 years old. The center offers homework help and tutoring, writing courses, and programs to help prepare students for future employment.

The pilot has only been running for a few days, but we already see great success! There have been at least 15 students at each class, and most are in their mid- to late-teens. They are eager to learn, and they are catching on quickly to the lessons. We look forward to working with them, and are very grateful to the staff of MCM for their support launching the workshop!