Back to school, not an easy one

A brand new look, ready for the 2018 schooling days. From school shoes to full uniform and a school back-bag.

17 January 2018 marked the official schoolsreopening day across many schools in South Africa. The reopening comes after the festive period holidays. In a brand new year, brand new class and grade –children need to look their part, clean and presentable in a full colours of their respective school uniform.

New Jerusalem Children’s Home, is a home of 80 children, who on the morning of the school reopening day, with joy – they all got ready to join their fellow peers at preschool, primary and secondary schools. To meet for the first time after a long school break, chats about their holidays became something no teacher in a classroom did not hear on the day, class intervals took longer than on a normal school day, pupils remained outside classrooms longer, laughing, giggling and scream with joy to each other on the school reopening day.

It is on this day, that pupil’s judge each other based on what they have put on for their first day at school, it is on this day that a child’s esteem is built of harmed. Children who came in their full school on the reopening day will likely be respected more by their fellow peers, the respect earned on this day goes far than just being fully and well presented in colours of the school, it boost a child’s classroom confidence, classroom participation becomes easier from a child who is neat and looking the part, from the first school day.

New Jerusalem Children’s Home, cares for 80 children and youth – who come from different social backgrounds. Most importantly, they are staying in an institution “a children’s home” this on its own makes them more vulnerable to all form of peer-to-peer injustice. We believe that it is key to send a child to school being well presentable in their full school uniform and school back-bags, be it on the school reopening day or throughout the year. A child’s cleanness, is the first step of protecting them from being the first to be judged and emotionally abused by those they will be schooling with throughout the year – as it has been said “first impression last” our aim as a home is to let our children’s appearance – wow those they meet, this will go a little further in making them positive and being classroom participating pupils.

These are amongst the many reasons for our home, to ask for your assistance in sending all our children back to school in full school uniforms, school back bags and a lunchbox. It is this reasons, that we come to ask for your help, to please make a monthly contribution of R250 or more, towards our children’s education – it is our only way of protecting them against peer-to-peer injustice. A child can only be more confidant if they fit well in the society they find themselves in and today we are talking about the schooling community, the most injustice community, one which makes or harmer you based on what you have put on in a school yard.

New Jerusalem Children’s Home, wishes you a happy and prosperous new year.