“Keeping Kids at School“ southern Kalahari
The ‡Khomani San – South Africa’s remaining First People – live in one of the most remote and least serviced areas in South Africa. An estimated 500 people live on the farms that fall within the ‡Khomani San land claim. In this International Year of Indigenous Languages, IPACC launched a crowd-funding initiative to support the ‡Khomani San’s Eland School, in its “Keeping Kids at School ‘’ project.
Eland School provides culturally-inclusive foundation phase education to ‡Khomani San children, aiming to ensure that the ancient N/Uu language and culture are transferred to younger generations. Currently the N/Uu language is spoken only by a handful of elders and without the efforts of Eland School, the passing of these elders would mean the tragic death of yet another indigenous language.
However, the School is under-resourced and struggling. IPACC’s crowd funding campaign was a vital initiative to get Eland School onto a sustainable footing. IPACC also made a grant to the school to ensure that its doors remain open. The school needs further support into 2020.