Andre Buitendag, a full-time missionary for Christian Relief Empowerment and Discipleship Opportunities (CREDO), and a diverse group of Outeniqua High School volunteers visit this 120 learner primary school twice a week during school term with the motto, "The Geelhoutboom children will not care much about what we know, until they know how much we care".
With its roots in 2005, when Buitendag was asked by a community worker of one of the farmers in Geelhoutboom to assist with the upliftment of that community, the foundation was laid to look at the needs of the local school. After a presentation about the community in 2007, three Outeniqua High learners approached Buitendag to ask if they could bake cakes for the children at Geelhoutboom. This led to 53 grade 10 learners coming forward in 2008 to lend a hand with literacy and numeracy skills.
However, Buitendag and his team realised that they should "focus on giving the children love and support, helping them to start a dream for their lives" alongside assisting with reading and arithmetic exer-cises, teaching crafts (such as knitting for the girls) and sport. "Everything we do has a fun element, but an underlying message that adds value to their lives," says Buitendag.
This local missionary says it is not the abilities of the children that are lacking, "but rather their backgrounds of poverty, trauma, parental support, and poverty. Should these children really start experiencing love, acceptance and support, it will help them to rise up out of their circumstances and realise the value of their education. Therefore our main focus is on building ‘Human and Social Capital’ in the lives of these children."
One such value is shown when children attend a gala evening during one of the school holiday camps. Here all the children enjoy a lovely dinner and boys are shown how to accompany the girls to such an event in a proper manner, instilling a respectful attitude towards them. And to do this successfully, Buitendag says they have a great need for young men who will act as mentors for the boys.
According to Buitendag, the challenge in the high school learners’ lives has been a privilege to see.
Thus far this project has seen the school’s computer room refurbished, an attractive garden planted, and a makeshift library set up. With a permanent library structure in this project’s view, as it will serve not only the learners but also their community, Buitendag encourages anyone who wants to contribute to the school’s library building resources to contact Ms Irene Brink or Ms Chantel van der Merwe at Outeniqua High School for more information.
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Charnè de Kock carried Erna Jansen to victory in the piggy-back race.
ARTICLE AND PHOTOS: LEEANNE PRATT, GEORGE HERALD JOURNALIST
