Kliptown Youth Program (KYP), Soweto, South Africa
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Jared
Tikkun Olam
What we're passionate about!
Emily & Jared
EJ2 The Power OF TWO
Tikkun Olam
In the Jewish tradition we do Tikkun Olam because it shows that we care about others and that we are fortunate to be where we are today. Tikkun Olam means repairing the world which is actually what I am trying to do one step at a time. Tikkun Olam can mean any act of kindness from donating in a tzedakah box to teaching people who are not as fortunate as you.
My Project
My project is to help people in Kliptown, Africa get the essential needs to survive in everyday life. I am choosing to support a foreign country because there is a difference between needy in America and needy in Africa. “While a handful of countries and a small number of people are leading ample life, dozens of countries and billions of people in Africa, Asia, and Latin America are being left in absolute poverty” (Tran Duc Luong). In this quote, the people that are leading the ample life are us, and those billions of people are all living in absolute poverty. In my opinion, money to Africa can go way further than a money here. Think about how many people’s lives we could change if we each donated and did our small part.
Sadly, I realize that there is also poverty here in the United States and in our own neighborhoods so I have decided to donate my time to a local non-profit called Life Moves. Life Moves is a non-profit organization that is very successful in helping people and families who are struggling with homelessness get a job and start moving again. I will be teaching people at Life Moves on how to use the computer or improve their current computer skills. This can be a great chance for someone to learn new skills that they can apply in school or work. If the person who needs a job knows how to use computers then they have a better opportunity to get that job and start getting back on their feet. Once they get that job, they can move out of the shelter because they will start getting paid. Once they have left the shelter, then there is room for another person to get help and live there. My point is that the smallest things in life can make the biggest difference.
Personal Connection
When my family and I visited Kliptown township in Soweto, South Africa, it opened my eyes to a world that I didn’t know existed. Families didn’t have electricity or running water and their shelters (homes) were made out of corrugated materials for sides and roofs. At first I was excited to see that a company had donated computers for the children to learn, but later found out that they were useless due to the lack of electricity. By giving to the Kliptown Youth Program (KYP) there are so many areas that your donations can have a real impact on so many lives.
This is the kind of impact your donations can make:
$250 feeds a child twice per day all year and provides a school uniform so he/she can attend school
$700 provides one child with all of KYPs programming (tutoring, sports, arts, food, etc.) for one year
$5,000 provides textbooks or sports or arts programming for all KYP members for one year
$10,000 provides a university education for one year for one student
Thank you!