It’s back to school for hundreds of parents from Lavender Hill as the Hopeful Leaders Night School is set open next term.
The initiative started by single mom and community activist, Yumna Alexander, was launched in Manenberg in 2020 with the aim of equipping parents who are unable to complete their matric due to socio-economic issues.
In just four years, Alexander has grown her project to six schools in various communities including Manenberg, Hanover Park, Bonteheuwel, Delft and now Lavender Hill.
She explains that while the night school has gained momentum in recent years, the community of Lavender Hill remained a challenge.
“Whenever you read the news about Lavender Hill, all you see is that someone was shot or a child was killed as the gang violence rages out of control. I thought a lot about Lavender Hill and we gauge what we see on our social media pages, so I got up and approached the principal of Lavender Hill High School about the initiative.
“He took the proposal to the School Governing Body and they agreed to the project and we will officially start enrolment in August.”
She says among the requirements for students is that they must be aged 20 years or older and have completed Grade 9.
Enrolment costs just R50 and learners will receive classes for just R15.
“We have volunteer teachers from Lavender Hill, Grassy Park and Strandfontein who have signed up, so the cost of R15 only goes towards their fuel and printing costs for classes. We will be offering Maths Literacy, English, Afrikaans, Geography, History and Religion Studies,” says Alexander.
She says the school currently has over 1200 students enrolled for the 2024 academic year and they are hard at work preparing for the next exams.
For more information, send a WhatsApp message to 073 903 7616.