The Heart of Langa
LEAP is delighted to the recipient of a R50,000 grant to equip and run its Langa Study Facility, a safe haven and source of support for LEAP students and others from the community of Langa.
Most LEAP students live in shacks, hostels or flats which are shared by more than one family. They often have no space, or adequate light to do their homework or study for exams. Many LEAP students credit their success to the fact that they could use this space (a collection of modified shipping containers placed around an open courtyard) as a safe, light and quiet space to study outside of school. They are also able to use the space for group study sessions, or just as a place to meet up with friends.
The study facility was first established by the first group of LEAP students who joined LEAP in 2004. This formed part of their social responsibility programme to help transform their community. A group of students applied to MOL Shipping Company for shipping containers and were able to convert them into a study facility with the help of small consulting engineering company called Ukuzwana. The LEAP students entered the project in the 2014 Youth Foundation Construction Design Project and won 1st prize!
Today the centre is equipped with laptops, donated by Team4Tech and also supports students from local primary schools, which are LEAP feeder schools. It has served as a training facility for after school maths and science tutors and is also the site is the Kuyasa Soup Kitchen, which provides a warm meal on weekdays to the elderly and local children. It has been the site of many community gatherings, meetings and celebrations.
LEAP is proud of this important facility which forms the heart of our work in the community of Langa, and we are thankful to the Dischem Foundation for their generous support for the project.
