In the fall of 2017, I will be embarking on a journey to the township of Ocean View in Cape Town, South Africa in order to serve as an English teacher for the non-profit organization, Ubuntu Football Academy. I served with Ubuntu for three months in the summer 2015 and now that I have completed my certification to teach English as a foreign language, I believe that God is calling me to return to Cape Town in order to use this training to serve Him abroad once again.
My potential students will be 5th-6th grade boys who come from homes in which English is not the first language. One of the goals of the Ubuntu Academy is to provide a creative, effective, and individual-focused education for every boy enrolled in the program, and I am hoping to help them reach this objective. Schools in Cape Town teach in English, so in order for the boys to succeed they must first have a firm foundation in English speaking and comprehension.
Learning a new language is a difficult and lengthy process, and the school sometimes has difficulty finding volunteers to help with ESL classes. The volunteers are not necessarily certified in teaching English as a second language, as it is difficult to find someone with the experience who is willing to work for a non-profit. This situation has resulted in instability and uncertainty for the students. My intention is to be able to provide my students with a firm English foundation in order to succeed in the upper grades. The academy has requested that I be able to commit a year of service in order to complete a full school term with the students.
The Organization
Ubuntu Football was born in response to a crisis of Fatherlessness in South African society, where 60% of children are growing up without a father in the home. With the belief in mind that broken families breed broken communities and broken communities breed broken nations, their mission is to mentor and educate a generation of young men to become great African leaders and society-changers and to put positive, Godly role models and father figures in every child's life. They work toward this mission by providing a quality education and investing in discipleship, mental skills, and leadership development of students age 11-18. The means of outreach the organization uses is through their community Football Forward program and the Ubuntu Football Academy. Check out and learn more about Ubuntu Football by clicking here: Ubuntu Football
My Request
There are some moments in my life where I don’t see the ways that God is working until after the moment has passed, and there are some moments when I may never know the exact ways that God was working. When I received my TEFL Certificate, Ubuntu had just opened their new school, and I was unaware that they needed English teachers. I was not sure where I would be heading with my new certification. The connections that I made two years ago heard about my certification and reached out to let me know of their need. I believe that the opportunity for me to get my TEFL Certificate, aligning with Ubuntu’s desperate need for English Language teachers, is a situation in which God is making His intentions known. That is why I hope to be able to obtain the funds to commit at least one full year to the betterment of the education available to the boys in the academy. My goal is to be in South Africa by the beginning of October, and so in order to complete a full school year, I will be raising support for a total of 14 months.
My first and foremost request is that you will partner with me in prayer and encouragement as embark on a call to serve. Pray for the students and other teachers in the academy, the community in Cape Town I will be a part of, and that the Holy Spirit will lead me in all that I do.
Secondly, I will be raising support as part of this mission. Ubuntu volunteers provide funding and other resources that allow the organization to sustainably employ local full time professional staff, which helps in the goal of making a long-term investment in the education and mentorship of South African youth. If you would like to support me financially on this journey you can click this link to donate: GoFundMe, or contact me directly at abbycwelch@gmail.com.
Thank you for partnering with me!
Abby
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