My first week at Awarenet

On the 13th of September, my volunteer year at Awarenet started. This volunteer year is done through the German government’s weltwaerts program.  After a long and strenuous journey from Bremen, Germany to Makhanda, South Africa, I am happy to finally be able to start my work at the Joza Youth Hub with Awarenet. Since my Read more about My first week at Awarenet[…]

Covid-relief food parcels 2021

Last year our former volunteer, Paula Lambeck, initiated a fundraiser in Germany in an effort to help our core group learners with receiving food parcels. This initiative came about because of the economic challenges faced by many people in South Africa, more especially Makhanda, due to Covid-19. On Wednesday 21 July, we braved the cold Read more about Covid-relief food parcels 2021[…]

Recruitment of Rhodes University Volunteers

On Saturday 22 February 2020, the Awarenet staff was invited to an Engaged Citizen Programme (ECP) training which was held at Rhodes University by their community engagement division team. This was an initiative for local NGOs (referred to as partners), to recruit students to volunteer in their respective projects/programs. Hundreds of students showed up which Read more about Recruitment of Rhodes University Volunteers[…]

New year, new core group

Kicking off 2020, we once again extended our educational program by establishing a new core group with grade 8 learners from the local high schools Mrwetyana, Nombulelo and Khutliso Daniels. Our core group program now ranges from the grades 8-11 and includes approximately 50 learners, all of whom we hope to support until their matric Read more about New year, new core group[…]

Awarenet ends the year on a high note

Celebrating the end of the exam period and a successful year with our core groups, awarenet and our partner organisation Inkululeko decided to take a trip to the Hobbiton Outdoor Education Center in Hogsback from Friday the 22nd to Sunday the 24th of November. The Hobbiton campsite offers a variety of outdoor activities, ranging from Read more about Awarenet ends the year on a high note[…]

The Open Lab in numbers

The awarenet Open Lab sees more than 300 computer sessions over a seven days period! We recently conducted a survey of the usage of our computer lab which is open to the public from Monday to Saturday and is managed by a lab supervisor. The Open Lab concept was introduced in 2017 and is currently Read more about The Open Lab in numbers[…]

awarenet in Rhodes University Community Engagement final!

awarenet was selected as finalist at the Rhodes University 2019 Community Engagement Awards in the category “Best Community Partner of the year! Through these awards Rhodes University strives to recognise the achievements of its many community partners which host Rhodes students as volunteers throughout the year. The battle for the award among three finalists was Read more about awarenet in Rhodes University Community Engagement final![…]

Awarenet learners at the Rhodes Career Day

This month our grade 8 core group visited the Career Day at Rhodes University, hosted by our partner organisation Inkululeko. The event featured several university employees and students presenting their experiences and useful information regarding specific subjects as well as university life in general. The first part of the event consisted of short speeches given Read more about Awarenet learners at the Rhodes Career Day[…]

Better together – Outdoor Education at Hobbiton

Awarenet learners are sitting in school having their noses in books. After school they come to our computer lab and spend their time looking at a screen. We believe in the importance of media education, since the underprivileged youth in South Africa has way less screen time than their peers in other countries. However, there Read more about Better together – Outdoor Education at Hobbiton[…]

New volunteer Phillip arriving in August

Hello everyone, my name is Phillip Knaak and I will be joining the awarenet team, arriving in Makhanda in early September. I will be staying in South Africa for a year and work for awarenet during my time there. I will turn 18 years old in July and I am currently graduating from high school Read more about New volunteer Phillip arriving in August[…]