No images? Click here COVID-19 News UpdateWhen President Cyril Ramaposa announced a State of Emergency and Lockdown in March, little did we know how much our lives would change. Salesian staff started working remotely from home and all programmes were put on hold. The Porsche PTRZ-ZA programme could thankfully continue training via online platforms to ensure they do not fall behind with the curriculum for this year. We were downgraded to Level 4 on May 1st which opened the economy to a selected few. South Africans now eagerly await a downgrade to Level 3 Lockdown that will see the opening of more retail business and school pupils starting to return to school in different phases. As government consultations continue over the possibility of lowering lockdown levels at the end of May, early analysis by the Department of Health has revealed the seven hardest-hit districts likely to remain at high-risk stages. Ekurhuleni metro in Gauteng, eThekwini metro and iLembe District in KwaZulu-Natal, Buffalo City and Nelson Mandela Bay metros in the Eastern Cape as well as the Cape Town City metro and the Cape Winelands district in the Western Cape have the highest number of Covid-19 infections in the country. The City of Cape Town remains at the highest level by far. To find out what the latest statistics are, click below. The Salesian Institute Youth Projects received publicity in the media during the lockdown. Please read the article here. Looking After Our BenefitiariesWe have gratitude for two of our loyal supporters who stepped forward with funding that enabled SIYP to support our beneficiaries who were hardest hit by the Lockdown and the loss of income, with weekly food parcels. Thank you to Jugend Eine Welt and the TK Foundation who made the feeding scheme possible! 171 Beneficiaries were identified in 27 different communities around Cape Town with 16 SIYP volunteer staff and parents ensuring that the food parcels reached the right families. SIYP Programmes Opening GraduallyThe Salesian Institute is preparing to open some of our programmes, in accordance with the announcement by Minister of Basic Education Angie Motshekga, that learners will return to school with a phased approach as from 1 June 2020. The Learn to Live School's Year-4 students will return to school on 1 June. Satisfying the requirements of the Disaster Management Act, SIYP is currently busy with a deep clean and preparations are underway with a strict Covid-19 Policy in place for all learners and staff. The Future of Our Youth ProgrammesThis pandemic has affected all spheres of society, NGO’s, and the business world alike. We cannot say with certainty what the future holds. What we do know is that we must now, more than ever focus on our youth programmes in providing at-risk youth with skills training and the tools to establish and maintain secure livelihoods. For this, we need your support and investment. Contributions however big or small will be put towards the continuation of our youth skills programmes. Please Stay in TouchVia our Social Media Platforms below or email: info@salesianyouth.org.za |