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CELEBRATING 20 YEARS OF INSPIRED ACTION!

Sparrow Schools Educational Trust is celebrating 20 years of changing lives through education and training.  In a time when many non-profits are hard-pressed to continue service delivery, Sparrow Schools attribute their continued success to five key factors – keeping the organization’s vision at the forefront of all that is done, attracting people with passion for the cause, the ability to adapt to change, financial discipline and nurturing relationships with stakeholders.

Founder and General Manager, Jackie Gallagher, who herself spent many years in a children’s home, is passionate about education and providing marginalized children and youth with access to opportunities they would otherwise never have. When asked why she has stayed inspired and active for 20 years of her life, she answers “It is simply my passion for education and for marginalized children and youth. The many success stories we have seen of young people who have turned their lives around by taking hold of the education and opportunities we provide them with, has kept me going and daily reminds me that we are providing an increasingly vital service to children and youth whose options are very limited.”

This passion is evident in Sparrow Schools’ comprehensive approach to ensure that learners’ complex needs are met.  Children and youth who cannot cope in mainstream schools due to educational backlogs and learning difficulties are provided with access to quality specialized schooling, practical vocational training and extensive learner support at two facilities – Foundation School in Melville, and Sparrow Combined in Sophiatown.  Many of Sparrow Schools’ 600 learners are orphans.  At Sparrow Schools they find a place to belong and grow as they learn.

As is expected this 20th celebration provides an opportunity to look back to the humble beginnings as a Saturday school in 1989, where extra lessons were provided in a church hall to build a bridge between the previously disadvantaged Black schools’ education standards and the advantaged White schools’ standards.   Looking ahead however offers new opportunities to strengthen Sparrow Schools’ service delivery by providing continued staff development, and focusing on finding relevant work experience opportunities for learners. 
To accommodate children and youth who require specialized schooling and training, whilst their parents/caregivers cannot afford private schools’ costs, Sparrow Schools provides subsidized schooling as well as a number of bursaries. Sparrow has managed to keep their school fees at less than 50% of actual costs, through their “Educate-a-child” subsidy programme.  For as little as R100 a month or R1200 a year, you can provide a child with access to affordable quality education.  With the “Educate-a-child” programme and the Bursary Programme you actually get to see your donation at work in the life of a child or youth, by receiving regular reports on the learner’s progress. 

So, as we celebrate 20 years of inspiring action in the lives of children, we hope to inspire South Africans to act and do their part to aid our children’s journey to hope.

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Anda Mgudlwa and Melanie Ramjee from Speakers Corner our probono PR agency.	Choir kids is with Siya Metane- Artist from Skwatta Kamp