In the tradition of the underlying thread of education that permeates everything we do, led by our ‘Digital Buddha’ Rob Stokes, we’ve remained firmly entrenched in various community endeavours. These, in the theme of funding education, are community initiatives of which we’re exceedingly proud. And so, in honour of two heroic organisations with which we’ve joined forces, as well as the fact that today is Blog Action Day 2012 (#bad12 and #powerofwe), we thought we’d take some time and showcase them here:

The Peninsula School Feeding Association

Established in 1958, the Peninsula School Feeding Association (PSFA) provides meals to primary and secondary school children with special needs, at schools across the Western Cape.

The PSFA goals summed up succinctly on their website are outlined as such:

• To reduce short-term hunger
• To provide children with food, and in doing so, enhance their ability to learn
• Improve learner attendance at schools, through the availability of this food

The truth of the matter is these kids want to learn. However, with so many not knowing from where their next meal will be coming, on a day to day basis, education and attending school tragically takes a back seat. This PSFA initiative effectively does a little to remove that worry, quashes it, and allows for the concept of education to come through as what needs to be accomplished first and foremost, in a young person’s life.

Quirk Cape Town got wind of this fantastic, enterprising movement, and immediately leapt on board. A donation that will go toward feeding 95 children, at special needs schools across the Western Cape, for an entire year, was pledged.

The initiative means that these children are able to skirt the worry of where or when they’ll next be able to eat, they’ll be fed and they’ll be able to learn, and because of this, our country’s future is that much safer.  

The Billion Child Appeal

The Billion Child Appeal (BCA) seeks to build the potential of 1 billion children, empowering them to escape poverty, through the only way we all know to be the most effective: the way of education.

The angle here, though, is fresh. And the initiative has appealed in fathom to how we as Quirk, believe the dissemination and promotion of education is truly the only way to slowly start providing an inkling of light and positivity for to the future of our country.

With that in mind, the BCA have created a number of very intriguing ways of going about that dissemination of education. The most noteworthy of these, is the national parenting skills programmes. These seek to educate parents directly, in the hope of providing them the necessary parenting skills to teach their own children of the immense importance of going to school. It’s an ingenious notion that seeks to accomplish:

• Increased attendance by educating parents on the importance of school
• Increased completion of homework
• Increased know-how for parents on how to encourage their child’s ambition and life-goals
• Education for parents on how to encourage their children to value education and stay in school

Quirk jumped at the chance to merge minds with this fresh approach, and has taken on the role of pro-bono awareness and promotion. We will be lending our digital expertise and time to the promotion of this very worthy cause, on Social Media channels Facebook and Twitter.

The Peninsula School Feeding Association and The Billion Child Appeal are real heroes. Community education and growth cannot be accomplished by one - it takes an army of minds, and they’re the ones growing that army. With organisations such as these, it’s simply a matter of time before we start winning the war against poverty, one melee at a time, in the battle for the further education of our country's children, and for a brighter future for us all. #powerofwe