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ALEXSAN KOPANO EDUCATIONAL TRUST
CHAIRPERSON’S REPORT
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2011

• The Alex Computer Studio and the branch in Soweto named the Computer Tutor continue to serve their communities with computer and business fundamentals classes. The Alex Computer Studio from January 2011 also started trading as the Computer Tutor.
• Through our donors we are able to support some projects in the Alexsan Library as mentioned above.
• We continue to work on the development of the Emmaus Community Centre in Duduza. With the high demand to support HIV/AIDS child headed families the project identified the need to build a larger facility. We are currently looking after 300 children, where the need is for over 800 children. We have had to turn away children due to the lack of space.
• We manage the administration and finance of the Gauteng Organisation of Community Arts and Culture Centres (GOMACC). During this period GOMACC implemented funding from the Lottery on arts development programmes.

The Computer Tutor – Soweto

During this past period we continued to run the eight-week computer training and business fundamentals course and Saturday classes. The evening classes are still not in demand in Soweto due to families wanting to be at home before it gets dark.

The focus of this centre is similar to that of the Alex lead centre and that is to address some of the skills shortages of our youth who have left school and looking for work.

The computer centre is based at the Nicro Centre in Soweto.

Due to the profile of Soweto and the spaced out residential nature of the area we continue to advertise at the beginning of each course in order to attract candidates. We hope that the word of mouth that sustains Alex will also apply to Soweto in the future.

Alexsan Resource Centre - Alexandra

The Educational Trust manages the computer studios, supports some library projects, funds the day to day costs of the Internet Café, provides supplementary bursaries for computer students, supports events such as carols by candlelight and library competitions. These will be expanded on further in this report.

Emmaus Community Centre - Duduza

The Department of Social Services is in their fourth year of tenancy at the centre and a strong working relationship has continued with our management team. Their Nigel branch needed to bring their operations closer to the people of Duduza and have found this move most beneficial.

In addition they are supporting the centre that is providing the community with a drop-in centre for AIDS orphans and children in need. The centre provides meals twice a day, clothes washing facilities and care givers who visit the children’s homes. The caregivers assist the children in the afternoons with their studies and have a selection of games for the little ones. They assist children to get registered to receive a government grant and to find a support parent in the community.

Currently the centre is working with 300 children as the current facilities are unable to accommodate more children. Statistics obtained have shown that up to 800 children need to be accommodated. EED Germany has committed to provide over 50% of the funding needed to build a larger extension. They have requested that the balance come from local donors for which we are currently providing proposals. The Department of Social Services will support the day to day operational costs. This work will continue into the 2011 – 2012 financial year. We have until September 2011 to find the balance of the funding and plan to complete the structure before the end of the 2011 year.

The centre also provides a cross section of other programmes such as food gardens, the Little Champs Programme, youth support and the GOMACC Arts programme.

Gauteng Organisation of Community Arts and Culture Centres

During this financial year the organization focused on the wrapping up and reporting on the final tranche of Lottery funding within the second Lottery contract; assisted groups in trying to get work during the World Cup programme; focused on the Draft Policy Framework for the Community Arts Sector; worked with the MAPPPSETA in providing documentation for a Catalytic Grant to train Arts Administrators to run arts centres nationally: hosted forums and lobbied government.

The late funds received by the GACC were moved to the next reporting year to team up with the third contract of Lottery funds focusing on Festivals.

This was an active year in the management of the NYDA/Flemish Batcha-Jeugd Project where we were requested to manage the finances for the Ipelegeng Arts and Sports Youth Project.

During the year we continued to engage with the National Department of Arts and Culture to discuss a way forward for Community Art Centres and the resuscitation of the National Federation of Community Art Centres; had meetings with Province on the way forward for the sector; lobbied the MAPPPSETA and Tourism SETA on relevant arts staff to be moved to the Tourism SETA; had a meeting with the President’s Office.

In mid-February 2011 funds were received for the third Lottery contract. The organisation was restructured and some planning for the training and festivals commenced. The funds being a 12 month fixed amount were formally allocated to commence in June 2011 through to May 2012 - 2011 being earmarked for training with 2012 being the festival months.

Early last year our enthusiastic Dennis Sehlabane fell ill and passed away in May 2010. The organisation needed to adjust to the loss of Dennis who had been a passionate worker and promoter of GOMACC.

More detail on these activities can be obtained from GOMACC (Gauteng Organisation of Community Arts and Culture Centres).

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank:

• EED Germany for supporting the National Facilitator position and the HIV/AIDS Orphan facility in Duduza
• Toyota for their ongoing educational support of the computer project and library
• Aristocrat Technologies for supporting assets and events at the centre focusing on the computer studios and library.
• National Lottery and GACC for supporting the work of GOMACC
  

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