These are the projects and work we did with the Quad/Para association of South Africa.
Computer Training
We evaluated the basic computer training being done at the KwaZulu Natal Digital Village. The program is offered by QASA in their Ashley Village self help center in Durban. The students learn the basics about Microsoft 2003 Operating system and Office applications they also create their CV. QASA collects the students CVs and information to send to companies to help the students gain employment opportunities. The training and the setup was very well done and the instructor, Dean, knew his stuff. Many of the students struggled with English which made it even harder for them to get used to the computers on their first day. The students struggled figuring out the left and right clicker on the mouse, so we suggested labeling them, a small yet helpful improvement. Another suggestion we made was to have a screen available for the instructor to use to demonstrate as he teaches. We reinforced QASA’s decision to hire one of their staff members, S’phelele, full time and invest in her for training. S’phelele speaks Zulu, one of the national languages and the most common language spoken language by the students. Not only will she help the students with translating but also she will assist Dean with students who need extra attention in order to keep the course flowing. A daily quiz will also be given to all the students to reinforce the daily objectives to improve retention of basic computer skills.
Interview Preparation
Also at the KZN Digital Village we created a presentation on job interviews. It is a power point project that gives an overview about the interview process, how act during the interview and how to prepare for the interview. Most of these people have never had a job interview and many have never held a formal job. We tried to give them tips on how to overcome their lack of job experience. We gave the presentation twice, once for each group students while we were there. S’phelele will take over the presentation for the future classes. She and Dean will amend and change the presentation as need be once they notice what is and is not working for the students.
Business Proposal
We are writing a business proposal for implementing recycling centers at all 12 of the QASA self help centers. The proposal is written for the centers to recycle paper, glass, and plastics. Household recycling of these materials is almost non-existent across the country. The aim of the project is multi-faceted. QASA is offering a service for consumers to be able to recycle their waste in their own neighborhood and help the environment. QASA will not charge anything for recycling but will target the neighbors and help them to take place their recycling in the containers. The money collected from the sale of the waste to collection companies will go towards self sufficiency of the self help centers for their running costs. The more important and potentially lucrative aspect is the exposure to and networking with the community. The idea behind this is that the neighbors may offer services and donations to the centers; they may also become customers/supporters of the center and their entrepreneurial initiatives. Ari, Eddie and I brainstormed these ideas over dinner one night. We figure that people who are socially conscious enough to recycle their waste are willing to support and donate to the self help center. While the income from the recycling will be helpful it is the relationships with the community that will be the most beneficial for the residents and the income in the long run. We are hoping the recycling centers can expand to include other ‘Green’ initiatives and will also expand community awareness and connections.
Diversity Training
QASA and National Council sent us to a Diversity Workshop at the Chatsworth APD. Sean Moodley and Fanie du Toit were the presenters for the workshop and were excellent. Sean is on the board of the Free State APD and the Desmond Tutu Diversity Trust. Fanie du Toit works for national council and does sensitization training.The workshop was very applicable to diversity and sensitization in the U.S. and was extremely informative about apartheid and the effects of democracy on society in the past 14 years. The workshop was directed towards the disability sector and at the workshop the amount of diversity in the room was lacking. The group was 75% Indian and there were only 5 black people in the room. Even more shocking was that there was only one person with a disability in the workshop. The presentation was thought provoking for me and hopefully for the other people in the room who all work for either QASA or the Chatsworth APD.
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