OUR FERTILE GROUND

Fertile Ground Cycling Introduction

 

A significant number of children in South Africa grow up in splintered families living in dire poverty. Fertile Ground programs could play a role in addressing this crisis by providing children with positive experiences and opportunities that can change the course of their young lives so that they stay in school, receive health care, and take up their rightful place in society as productive adults. Positive, uplifting childhood experiences build lasting memories that shape children’s perceptions and beliefs about life, and their responses to the challenges they face.

 

Since June 2005 Fertile Ground has engaged children living with life-limiting and life-threatening illness in hospital outreach activities, monthly day outings, a residential camp program, parenting training and support, a literacy project, and a cycling program. Children who go to bed hungry, immersed in poverty, violence, and constant stress have great difficulty in achieving their full potential. We have been providing these programs for ten years and Fertile Ground has demonstrated the way in which positive experiences and memories can determine whether a child slips into the pitfalls of violence, drug abuse and gangsterism, or builds a personality that is self assured and enables them to make choices that lead to a fulfilling life – like staying in care, staying in school, and finding employment. Ultimately they become the success stories of their communities, inspiring others to reach beyond the daunting challenges they face. More bicycles would enable us to expand what we do.

With more bikes we can expand our programs to include far more vulnerable children and families, of which there is an endless amount in Cape Town and throughout the country. The videos demonstrate & pictures in vivid imagery both how we do what we do and the impact on our participants. Should we succeed in securing the existence of Fertile Ground and refining our programs, and with sufficient financial resources we could replicate this facility in other sites and 8 provinces in the country in which it would then be accessible to the children in those areas who now have no way of benefiting from Fertile Ground programs. Yet the need is just as great in the other 8 provinces

 

Staffing as well as transportation and materials will cost money that we do not currently have. If funded, we could spearhead future development and there is no shortage of educated potential teachers and staff. Right now however we cannot pay them a living wage to work for us. With funding we could create several more Fertile Grounds. That would be a rough approximation of our goals: to duplicate Fertile Ground, once perfected, in the other peripheral areas of Cape Town and if successful take this model to other areas of this country.  Eventually we could roll out the model to neighboring countries where the need is just as intense. Currently we are working closely with Kids from Red Cross Hospital & High Schools in Khayelitsha, Guguletu, Nyanga, Philippi, Mitchells Plain.

 

On Behalf of Fertile Ground’s Youth Leadership Legacy Programs & Cycling Clubs, Thank You.

                     Robert F Shea Programs & Operations Director