Skills Development

The Community Nutrition and Development Centres offer not only hundreds of thousands of meals to its beneficiaries, but also skills development programmes, as well as income generation opportunities in order to build self-reliance and self-sustainability. Using their skills training, beneficiaries are able to generate income for themselves and achieve financial independence.

Skills development areas include computer literacy, baking, sewing, and barrister training. Financial independence means better outcomes, family stability, and ultimately, less reliance on welfare service.

Many youth in the province have been impacted by several factors including poor educational outcomes, limited employment opportunities, and exposure to and experience of maltreatment and violence in their homes, communities, and amongst their peers. For many, these experiences culminate into high-risk behaviour and perpetuation of the cycles of poverty, violence, and crime.

To divert youth from this path, the Cape Care Fund supports the establishment of skill development programmes in Eden Karoo, Drakenstein, Worcester and Caledon – areas with growing numbers of youth at risk, with very few existing programmes for young people.

The target groups are children participating in diversion programmes and have a high risk of re-offending, as well as children discharged from secure care centres, to strengthen reintegration and aftercare services. Programmes include seaman’s vocational training, hairdressing/ barber skills, and hospitality training. The cost per person includes take-home toolkits, transport stipends, and maintenance of equipment.

The aim is to provide positive alternative opportunities, beyond what they know. In this way the cycle of poverty, crime, and violence can be broken. Through this programme, participants will learn skills which have the potential to set them up for sustainable job opportunities, and further down the line, to create their own businesses.