REISA launched the second phase of its Early Childhood Development (ECD) Flagship Project – Parental Involvement Programme incorporating two key initiatives, namely Bringing Parents to the Education Table and Mentor Moms.
Targeting 200 parents in the region, a series of “Bringing Parents to the Education Table” workshops are being conducted to help parents focus on their roles and responsibilities in their children’s education, as well as empowering parents with knowledge and skills to support their children’s education and development at home.
The supplementary support ‘Mentor Moms’ programme trains and equips twenty carefully selected individuals to build structured and trusting relationships with parents, so that they can provide ongoing support to parents who are enrolled in the Bringing Parents to the Education Table programme.
The Mentor Moms Programme is a first for the Northern Cape and is piloted in the Gamagara Municipality, through REISA’s funding. “There is a limit of twenty ‘Mentor Moms’ that will be recruited onto the programme through an interview process across the six participating communities,” Veronique Isaacs, Regional Community Operations Manager for REISA.
The two components of the programme are envisaged to increase parental involvement at the ECD Centres through an increased number of fee paying parents, volunteering, attendance at meetings and improved communication with the practitioners and principals.
The first Bringing Parents to the Education Table workshop was held in Olifantshoek during February 2018. The workshops will run till June this year, with a formal certificate ceremony for participating parents taking place towards the end of June.
We hope to see parents confident with the knowledge and skills to support their children at home, knowing that they will be able to support academic success.
— Veronique Isaacs, Regional Community Operations Manager for REISA
CRITERIA TO BE A MENTOR MOM:
- You must be a mother, and at least 25 years old.
- You must be recommended by the Principal and SGB chairperson of your child’s ECD Centre or school.
- You must attend all our Mentor Moms training sessions in Kathu
- You must also attend our BPET training sessions
- You must be a positive role model
- You must be a helper (willing to help mothers do the tasks given in training sessions).
- You must be able to tell facilitators how parents are using the skills they have learnt in training sessions.
ABOUT REISA
REISA is one of South Africa’s largest solar PV plants. Situated in the Gamagara Municipality, Northern Cape, this solar plant extends over 210 hectares of land and boasts 343 200 solar modules.
With a total output of 75 MW REISA will generate approximately 175,000 MWh/year of clean, renewable energy to the national grid and when operating at full capacity, it is expected to supply enough green electricity to power approximately 50 000 medium-sized South African homes.
This power plant will avoid approximately 125,000 tonnes of carbon emissions each year when compared to traditional fossil fuel power plants.
Beyond its contribution to sustainable and environmentally friendly electricity generation, REISA has and will continue to bring job creation and socio-economic development to the local communities within which it operates.
