Our Beneficiary, Amy Foundation
The Amy Foundation, formerly the Amy Biehl Foundation Trust, is a non-profit organization that runs programmes to develop and empower youth aged 5 to 35 from vulnerable communities in the Cape Town area.
“Our programmes supplement the shortcomings of the educational system and help children and young adults cope with and overcome challenging personal circumstances.
Our mission is to provide a safe environment and run programmes to develop well-rounded children and youth who go on to make positive life choices. We aim to promote the development of academic, social, and personal skills, as well as preparing school-leavers for the world of employment and entrepreneurship.
We offer several after-school programmes (ASP) in three centres located in Gugulethu and Bonteheuwel, at Mimosa Primary School, Bonteheuwel High School, and Siyazingisa Primary School. Programmes run Monday through Thursday and are free of cost and include a light meal and drink. We cater to over 300 learners from ten schools in the area. “
After-school programmes include:
- Academic support: Literacy and numeracy classes.
- Arts and Culture: Including dance: traditional, Pantsula, Hip-Hop, Krump. Also includes music: marimba and choral.
- Sport: Soccer, netball, and martial arts.
- Greening and Environmental: Establishing and cultivating on-site vegetable gardens, eco-learning, outdoor learning.
- Life Skills: Leadership development, teamwork, health awareness, HIV and AIDS, peer education, and vocational skills training.
“Our youth skills development (YSD) programmes are run from our main offices in Sybrand Park, and we focus on youth that are not in education, employment, or training (NEET). We offer three-month free vocational skills courses in Beauty, Hospitality, Technical Skills, and Sewing and Design held at our main offices at 2 Dagbreek Street, Sybrand Park. We also offer soft skills training programmes that focus on self-esteem and leadership development, as well as teaching entrepreneurial skills. The foundation provides lasting support for graduates of our programmes, including one-on-one business coaching sessions and assistance in creating CVs and business advertisements. We also connect our learners to internship and employment opportunities with many of our partner organizations/companies.
We are requesting your assistance in supporting our programmes and the foundation, and by donating money, time, or resources you are making a difference in the lives of the youth in our programmes.”
Amy Foundation Success Stories
‘Step by Step: The Resilient Youth of The Amy Foundation’
Step by Step is the fruit of an ongoing collaboration between highly motivated and inspired staff and students of the Youth Skills Development Programme of the Amy Foundation in Cape Town, South Africa, and staff and students of the Department of Theology & World View in our School of Human Movement & Education at Windesheim University of Applied Sciences. With this project, a foundation has
Mzoxolo
Mzoxolo grew up in Khayelitsha and enrolled in the Amy Foundation’s hospitality programme in 2018. He didn’t know much about hospitality, but learned various culinary and entrepreneurial skills while at the foundation. “When I started here at the foundation I was so shy…when I was in the orientation I wouldn’t speak, I would just keep quiet even though I had questions I wanted to ask…But
Andile
“I was investing in myself.” Andile is 21 years old and has started two of his own businesses in less than a year after enrolling in the Amy Foundation’s Hospitality programme. Andile grew up in Philippi, a township known for its agricultural development, and worked hard in grade school to matriculate in 2019. 27.3% of people in Western Cape are unemployed and it is incredibly
This is Inspiring. Thank YOU so Much To The Amy Foundation Today Am Also One Of The Students I Started My Own Small Business Of Selling Muffins Even Before I Finished. To The Amy Foundation Staff I Would Like To Say Ndiyabulela🙏