National Award Winners 2003

Adult Learners' Week is an opportunity to celebrate our successes. We take pleasure in introducing you to the exceptional learners, educators, groups and centres who were finalists in the 2003 Adult Learners' Week Awards.

Best Learner

1st place

Corneels Snell
Matie Community Service, Western Cape (021) 808 3644
Corneels is a farm worker at Swartrivier near Stellenbosch. Corneels first heard of the literacy classes run by Matie Community Service in 1999 and immediately phoned the organization to make arrangements for classes to take place on the Swartriver farm. He motivated other farmworkers to join the classes and got permission from the farmer to make use of a small hall on the farm.

By 2000, the number of learners on the farm had outgrown the hall, and Corneels then organized transport with the farmer so that classes could move to the Koelenhof Primary School. Corneels wrote his level 1 exams in 2001 and is now attending level 3 classes. Last year, Corneels began to farm pigs on a small scale. Initially, he shared the profits with the farmer, but when he realized that he was doing most of the work he opted to buy out the farmer’s share and is now farming for himself. He continues to motivate and inspire other farm workers to take up the challenge of lifelong learning. Congratulations to a man who leads by example.

2nd place

Evidence Bawanile Cele
Ziphakamise, Kwazulu-Natal (039) 682 1834/072 568 2526
Evidence is a very successful learner. Within two years at the Ziphakamise Centre she reached English Level 3 and passed her IEB exam with flying colours. She has turned her attention to helping others learn and attende a community development training course. She has used her skills to start the Siyavuka Development Organisation which trains community members in beadwork, weaving, woodwork and vegetable gardening. Through her initiative members of the community are able to earn a living and grow their own food. Evidence has achieved a great deal at a young age and we will all watch Evidence with interest to see what she will achieve next. Congratulations to Evidence - the lady who practises what she preaches.

3rd place

Angeline Shelembe - Gauteng
A student at RAU University - 082 689 9875
Angeline was one of six children. She lost her father and was forced to stop her schooling in Grade 9. After the birth of her two children, Angeline left an abusive husband in Lesotho to move back with her mother. She decided that the only way she could help herself and her family was to educate herself. Despite great difficulties she passed her matric extremely well and found employment in the Education Department. Six years later she lost her job and after struggling to find regular employment, she decided to work with the community. She has revived the Community Policing Forum, and she gives help and advice to unemployed youth motivating them to keep on learning. Amazingly she is studying for a BA in Social Work herself now. Congratulations to a wonderful role model.

Best Educator

1st place

Mrs Lungile Doris Mthembu
Mabuyazi Adult Centre, Kwazulu-Natal - 083 514 0131

This lady started off small many years ago teaching literacy in a rural area far away from support services. She has helped her learners grow in self confidence and has looked around to see what more they need. Her centre has grown and now includes growing vegetables and selling for them for income generation. Men also participate in the programme, making fences, murals, pot stands and ironing boards. She has excellent relationships with nearby firms who use her learners and donate money to the centre. Mrs Mthembu hopes to develop a computer centre for training. She welcomes learners into her house and the work she does is voluntary. She is indeed a worthy winner of the honour of best educator 2003.

Congratulations to a lady who moves with the times.

2nd place

Ms Erna Sittig
Foundation for Enterprise Development
Noordhoek Campus, False Bay College, Western Cape - (021) 785 7760

Erna manages the SMME programme at the Noordhoek Campus where she mentors 20 emerging entrepreneurs from Masiphumelele township. Erna offers herself as a sounding board for learners to work through their own problems and creates a safe space where learners can reflect on their experiences - in the world of work, study and community life. This selfless intervention often happens after-hours and during home-visits in the local informal settlement has helped to build learners’ trust and confidence.

Interactions with learners are often filled with laughter and dialogue, in which lessons about life and business go hand in hand. As a mentor, Erna helps learners set goals, overcome obstacles and learn from their mistakes. The celebration of business successes have helped to raise the status of entrepreneurs in Masiphumelele and motivated other community members to start their own business instead of seeking formal employment. Many learners are now running successful businesses that supply national and international markets.

Congratulations to Ms Sittig, who has set a new benchmark for community development.

3rd place

Tsakani Norah Khomane
Akanani Twisisa Learning Programme, Limpopo - (015) 556 3875

Mrs Khomane is one of those self reliant people who always seems to know what is going on, and how to grasp opportunities to benefit her learners through public works, skills development and ABET programmes. She has started new centers and has even developed materials in Venda and Tsonga to meet her learners’ needs. She might live a long way from the major providers, but she is never left behind. She also involves herself with learners on a personal level offering support to help learners overcome family and business problems. She is currently registered with the ETDP SETA for the National ABET Diploma and hopes to one day complete an honours degree in adult education.

Congratulations to an educator who always finds the best for her learners.

Best Group

1st place

Materials Development Group
Twisisa Learning Programme - Limpopo (015) 556 3875

There were very few suitable learning materials in Tsonga and Venda, so in 1995 educators from the Tswisisa Learning Programme decided to develop their own. After a year long training programme, the group went on to share their skills other local educators and accessed funding from donors and the group has continued to develop wonderful materials that are exactly what their learners need. The group has most recently been commissioned by the Department of Agriculture to develop appropriate learning materials.
Congratulations to a group that recognised a need and went directly to satisfy it.

2nd place

Ceramics Production Unit
Noordhoek Valley Training Centre - Western Cape - (021) 785 7760

The Bambanani Bowl Production group was formed as an income generating group following a trainind course in ceramic production at the Noordhoek Valley Training Centre. The group has become highly skilled and exhibited their work at the World Summit on Sustainable Development. Since April 2002 the group have produced over 700 Bambanani Bowls and generated over R100 000. The members of the group support each other on a personal level and motivate other members of the Masiphumelele community to attend classes at the centre.
Congratulations to a group of skilled business people who are an example to us all.

3rd place

Woodwork group
Ditgatlong Adult Learning Centre, Northern Cape - 083 334 0236

Members of the Dikgatlong Public Adult Learning Centre thought of a successful way of using their skills to generate an income. They formed themselves into a Woodwork Group and acquired the skills to make household furniture, tables and chairs, cupboards and bookshelves. They even began to renovate old furniture. The group plans to employ more community members and hopes one day to have a factory. Congratulations to a group of learners who saw an opportunity and went for it, changing lives for the better.

Best Centre/Project

1st place

Shiloh Development Centre
Duncan Village, East London - Eastern Cape - 083 388 6617

Shiloh means ‘God’s answer to our prayers”. This community-based project is run by people with disabilities from Duncan Village. People with disabilities often struggle to find employment and those who do find jobs are often paid half the salary as normal people with the same qualifications. Shiloh has done a wonderful job - identifying the skills that the centre members with disabilities already have, and linking them to a niche market. The members of the centre sew wonderfully and are excellent at wood- and metal work. They have earned the respect of the broader community by making garments for the clergy, school uniforms, church benches and built-in cupboards for local businesses.

Congratulations to a Centre that built on the strengths of people with disabilities.

2nd place

Siyazama Adult Learning Centre - Kwazulu-Natal (033) 342 2768

The Siyazama Centre is particularly interesting, because it is a centre for disabled people that has included mothers and other caregivers in its programme. The programme based in Maqonqo (22 kms from Pietermaritzburg) offers adult basic education and training, but has also extended their work to include very productive food gardens and a successful sewing group. The centre has a policy of encouraging the learners to read stories about other people with disadvantages who have worked hard to reach their dreams. Congratulations to a centre for people with disabilities that has become so successful that it has touched the lives of the whole community.

3rd place

St Joseph’s Adult Education Programme - Western Cape - (021) 685 1257

St Joseph’s Adult Education programme offers an enormous range of classes from ABET to Tai Chi. The centre has developed a number of different strategies to ensure learning is accessible to all. Literacy learners receive bursaries to attend training programmes in business and computer skills where costs are subsidized by the general fee-paying public. The centre also offers a free childcare service to enable women to attend classes.

St Joseph’s was the first adult education centre to open its doors to refugees from other areas of conflict in Africa and learners’ stories were published in the book We came from Mandela which celebrates the cultural life of refugee community. The programme also serves disabled learners from Rosedon House in Lansdowne and has raised funds to build a ramp to make the centre wheelchair friendly. Congratulations to a centre that has met the needs of many very different people.

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