The Akani Project

About Akani – Overview

With a large squatter community, certain areas of Diepsloot are a sad but common remnant of South Africa’s past. It is a community in distress. Despite the growth of permanent homes and structures, including schools, clinics and a handful of churches, ‘shelter’ for many consists of the shacks they have erected from zinc, plastic materials, wood and cardboard. Whilst electricity is supplied not all have the means to use it and those in squatter camps are not connected at all. Unemployment is high and crime is rife, with murder, rape, theft and abuse of women and children a reality of the environment, a reality from which the children are not spared and are often the victims. At Akani Diepsloot Foundation we believe there is nothing wrong in being born a ‘nobody’, as long as you die a “somebody”, hence our mission – with us ‘EVERY CHILD CAN.’

Our children have a right to education, recreational facilities, adequate nutrition, peace and good health. And they have a right to protection from poverty and disease, abuse and exploitation, suffering and neglect, violence and hatred.

Diepsloot – Click here to read about the area!

 

About Akani – Background

The Akani Diepsloot Foundation is an initiative between the Bryanston Methodist Church and the Diepsloot community.

Akani is a Shangani word meaning ‘to build.’ The aim of the program is to provide a children support centre for Diepsloot and the surrounding areas. As at May 2008 we cater for approximately 550 children mid week in the afternoons and 650 children on Saturdays. The children receive education in support of what they are learning at school including numeracy, literacy, crafts, religious instruction and life skills (hygiene nutrition etc). They are provided with one meal every day and for a number of these children it could be the only meal they receive. A library, and certain sporting facilities are available. We have now employed on a part time basis 11 parents from the community who assist the principal with the teaching. Assistance by volunteers recruited from the community and the Bryanston Methodist Church is also given.

The number of achievements is endless, but the greatest one is that the Methodist Church, from their funding, purchased and donated 22 hectares of land in Diepsloot for the establishment of a Church and a number of projects for community development. The Township was named Bophelong Place of Life and one of the projects within Bophelong is the children support centre now known as Akani. A 2,000 square meter building with kitchens and ablutions has been built to accommodate classes and a large hall.

About Akani – Mission and Vision

Vision
Our Vision is to nurture the children of Diepsloot physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually and thereby enable them to become informed, balanced and productive citizens.

Mission
“Every Child Can”

About Akani – The Kids

The children range in age from 4 to 16 and the older ones attend morning schools in Diepsloot and the surrounding areas. Some do not have birth certificates and the majority live in shacks with six or seven others and no privacy whatsoever.

To us at Akani we experience little children wanting a touch, a few words, tightly closed eyes in prayer, singing songs of praise and a willingness to soak up every bit of learning. The older ones are somewhat different in that it is not always “cool” to show those feelings, but deep down you can see that they enjoy being at Akani, the meal, the teaching to supplement what they are doing at school and of course the sport. Then to those that have additional needs at home. Out of work parents or no parents at all, families that have experienced HIV/Aids, a child that comes to us in tears because the family have been evicted. The queue for food parcels at the end of the day – and these children are smiling and laughing. Luxuries to these children are shoes, a change of clothing, chocolates, biscuits and meat . WOW. How blessed we can count ourselves.