This is the second year that Comfort International has been sponsoring students through welding and sewing courses at the Good News International (GNI) Joy Centre TVET (Technical and Vocational Education and Training). All of the young people who come to study at Joy Centre TVET are from very poor families in that area. Others are boys and girls who were living on the street and were not able to complete their studies due to various reasons, mostly the financial situation of their families.
When GNI first started the two classes, they were asking the students and their families to pay school fees in order to buy the necessary materials and equipment needed for studying. Almost all of the children failed to pay the fees and many of them were dropping out before the completion of the programme. Since Comfort International started to sponsor the students, GNI reports that there has been a big difference in the programme and also in the life situation of the students.
As well as welding and sewing classes, there are IT skill classes, a hope for carpentry classes in the future, and the Joy Centre also contains facilities for sport and leisure, as well as functioning as a hub for community meetings and activities. Sponsoring the young people through the Vocational Training has made a significant difference to the opportunities that lie ahead for each of these individuals. GNI took some baseline data before and after CI sponsorship began, to show the impact that it has been having on their lives. Before the sponsorship, there were 4 classes that graduated from the sewing course, and 3 from the welding class – a total of 173 students (110 girls and 63 boys). Since then, 94 more students have graduated from both sewing and welding classes. Among them there are 54 girl and 40 boys.
Attendance
Before commencing sponsorship, the level of attendance lay at around 61%. It was very low because the students were sometime having to miss class so that they could go to find a job and work in order to be able to pay the school fees. Following sponsorship, attendance has remarkably increased from an average of 61% to 93%. There are still some students who miss classes due to family reasons or when they are sick, but there is not an issue of continual absence as before.
Performance
Due to the low level of attendance, and the added stress of being unable to pay the school fees, performance among the students was poor. Marks were coming in at an average of around 55%. When the school fees were no longer an issue and attendance increased, grades increased to 75%, representing a huge increase in the stability of the lives of the students following sponsorship.
Happiness
Before sponsorship began, teachers commented that many of the students were unhappy. When GNI interviewed the students, only 20% responded that they were happy. That number changed to 89% following sponsorship. This also had a positive effect on the teachers who started enjoying training the students much more. Removing the pressure of paying the school fees made it a better learning environment for everyone.
In conclusion, sponsorship has made a significant difference to the young people on the TVET programme, not only in relation to their education, but also their overall happiness and quality of life. We look forward to seeing these young people going on to their different vocations with the skills needed to become employed and responsible adults. Thank you for being part of this journey.
