Thanda has changed a lot since opening our doors in 2008. We’ve expanded into a whole range of programmes, serving hundreds of people in the Mtwalume area!

Our Education Programme is where it began! Over the next few weeks we are looking at what some of our programmes look like NOW and we’ll be sharing some insight gained through chatting to people who are close to the programmes.

Siyazazi –

In English Siyazazi means “I know myself.”
This is the name of our Education Programme for Grade 4 to 7 children.

What does ‘I know myself’ mean?

It means that at Thanda, children are not only learning Game-changing skills in a theoretical way, but they are also learning how to implement these skills in their lives.

It means that children who have been through the Siyazazi Outdoor Programme understand their own worldview and all the external factors that may influence them.

It means that the lessons learned here have guided them (and continue to do so) in developing a strong sense of self.

Sne, the Siyazazi Outdoor Programme Manager, who started as a facilitator with Thanda in January 2017, shares:

“The children that are in the Siyazazi Programme today were in my After-school group when I had just started at Thanda as a facilitator in 2017. Watching them grow through the programme over the past 5 years has been so rewarding!

Many of the children could not write or read, now they’re the most confident children ever!

Specifically, there’s a grade 6 child who was shy and reserved when she enrolled in grade two. Five years later, when I saw her last Sunday during our Girls Day Programme, she was dancing, enjoying her space and actively leading the group. That shows progress and the positive impact the programme has on the children.”

Pre-pandemic, Siyazazi was an indoor programme – taking place in local school classrooms. Covid-19 necessitated a change, and now this programme looks completely different. It no longer takes place in classrooms during the week and instead uses the Thanda Community Centre facilities each weekend.

Children from Grade 4 – 7 enrol into groups based on their interests – Chess, Performing Arts, Eager Beaver Book Club and Visual Arts Club – and meet for four hours every Saturday at Thanda. In addition to doing activities relating to their club themes, they also work through Thanda’s Creative Learning Curriculum with lots of games, stories, discussions and art projects designed to build resilient lifelong learners.

Once a month, we host a separate Boys Day and Girls Day where children talk about sensitive topics like sex, puberty, peer pressure, culture, family and religion. We try to create an atmosphere of ‘what happens at these days, stays at these days’ to help children feel safe and trust that they can freely share their thoughts and feelings. We have found that, even though the topics are complex and often bring up challenging emotions, the days are extremely beneficial for the children who would otherwise not be able to have open and frank conversations on these matters. Thanda is guided by a holistic approach to education and our Girls and Boys Day contribute significantly to this mission.

Thabiso, the facilitator who first had the idea to introduce Boys Day and is now the Programme Manager shared: “We cover topics such as hygiene, adolescent stages, gender-based violence, etc. We usually have these discussions around a bonfire at night and have a few guidelines to create a safe space so that no child feels insecure to share or express themselves.”

Sne, speaking about Girls Day tells us about a great new addition to both Boys and Girls Day in 2022: “Another thing we’ve added to the programme this year is goal planning and goal setting, the process of being able to plan how to set goals for yourself. For example, if the child wants to become a doctor we will guide her, on what subjects to learn in school and what other steps they should focus on to achieve their goals”

The children who attend our Siyazazi Outdoor Programme and the Boys and Girls Days are at a very impressionable age and this is why Thanda focuses on helping them to self-examine and to, ultimately, realise the name of the programme ‘I know myself’ so that, when a variety of messages are thrown at them from the outside world, they have a firm hold on who they are and what they stand for.