ARESTA'S PROGRAMMES

ARESTA seeks to provide a comprehensive psychosocial package of self-reliance activities. Through ARESTA's holistic approach to adult education, the goal is to provide a solution of a kind, which assists refugees and asylum seekers to grapple with economic, social and psychological issues in South Africa.


1. CAREERS AND EDUCATIONAL COUNSELLING AND REFERRALS

ARESTA provides career and educational counseling to enable refugees and asylum seekers to care for themselves and their families.

Activities and services provided include:

• Orientation, Selection and Placement;
• Job-hunting support and employment opportunities Workshops;
• Curriculum Vitae (CV) and cover letter writing and Job interview preparation;
• Assistance in faxing and/emailing CV’s;
• Assistance in opening a bank account;
• Assistance with the process of qualifications equivalences in South Africa;
• Assistance with registration at professional boards i.e. medical or nursing councils;
• Skills audit & development of a database of Refugee academic qualifications;
• Assistance with registration at tertiary institutions (Universities and Colleges);
• Advocacy work with employers and universities and colleges.

The overall feedback from ARESTA beneficiaries of counseling is that they are better able to care for themselves and their families, both economically and psychosocially.

2. ENGLISH LANGUAGE TRAINING ACTIVITIES

English classes are one of ARESTA's core programmes. ARESTA teaches English Classes at the Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced levels. English Language is a critical skill needed by refugees at the entry point; English language is the gate-way to survival for refugees and asylums seekers in South Africa. The English language opens the door in understanding the South African society.

There is a growing need and demand for English Language Training offered by ARESTA. Increased numbers of applicants want to gain English language skills for them to be able to go for further studies or seek for better employment. In the knowledge that very few opportunities for Refugee English language training are available in Cape Town, ARESTA is trying to empower Refugees and accommodate as many of them under its limited / existing English classes.

Furthermore, ARESTA has entered into a partnership with the Western Cape Department of Education. Under the partnership, ARESTA is receiving English, Literacy and Communications teaching curriculum support from Education Management & Development Centre (EMDC), Department of Education.


English Courses in ARESTA's premises

ARESTA is the only organization in Cape Town offering classes over an extended period. There is a growing need and demand for ARESTA's English classes.

• 2 intakes per year

February to June
July to November

• Beginner Level (Group A)

Monday mornings: 09:00-12:00
Wednesday mornings: 09:00-12:00

• Beginner Level (Group B)

Tuesday mornings: 09:00-12:00
Thursday mornings: 11:00-14:00

• Beginner Level (Group C) at Retreat Public Library

Wednesday afternoons: 14:00-17:00
Friday mornings: 10:00-13:00

ADULT EDUCATION AND TRAINING

Education is thriving at ARESTA. ARESTA is registered with the South African Education Management Information System (EMIS): 01 880 005 99. We are registered as ARESTA Community Learning Centre. With the integration into Western Cape Education Department our learners have the privilege of receiving an education based on the standards of the department and be accredited by the department. This factor will enhance their prospects of entering the South African labour market.
Current levels of education and learning areas offered:

• Level 1   - English Language, Literacy and Communication

                          -  Numeracy

• Level 2   -  English Language, Literacy and Communication

                          -  Mathematical Literacy
                          -  Integrated Studies

• Level 4  - Fundamentals    -  English Language Literacy, Literacy and  

                                                        communication
                                                     -  Mathematical Literacy
                        -  Core - Life Orientation
                        -  Vocational Learning Areas - Ancillary Health Care

Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises;

• Whole Sale and Retail;
• Early Childhood Development.

With the registration with and integration into the South African Department of Higher Education & Training, ARESTA is able to open its doors to the surrounding local communities where unemployment is also rife, due to lack of employment skills. This factor has enhanced the prospects of nation building and social cohesion between foreign nationals and South African citizens.   

• AET Level 2

Tuesday afternoon: 12:00-15:00
Wednesday afternoon: 12:00-15:00

• AET Level 4 NQF1

Full time from Monday to Thursday

Monday mornings: 9:00-12:00
Tuesday mornings: 09:00 - 15:00 (2 sessions)
Wednesday mornings: 9:00-12:00
Thursday mornings: 9:00- 12:00

ENGLISH LEARNING & SUPPORT PROGRAMME IN SCHOOLS

Maitland High School has a large African Refugee and migrant population, which comprises 25% of the school (234 out of 954 learners). Most of these learners come to school with barriers to learning:

• English is not their first language, but it is the language of instruction for all of their subjects. They have to take English as a First Language, as their home languages are no taught at the school;
• They have missed education due to their disjointed past;
• They experience emotional barriers due to trauma that they may have experienced or do still experience in present social circumstances;
• They experience discrimination at the school because they are foreign.

Due to the large learner numbers in the classes, the educators are not able to offer the “foreign” learners additional support and this project was therefore established. The learners also bring many assets to the school environment and the projects aims to mobilize these strengths to the benefit of the school community.

Significance of support:

1. The educator concentrates on these learners as they often enter schools at a disadvantage and experience extreme barriers to learning (chunks of missing education, psychological and linguistic barriers);

2. The educator seeks to understand (and perhaps even assist in removing) some of the barriers that such children face daily that hinder their access and participation in their fundamental human right to "inclusive" education. It is hoped that the understanding of the impact of these barriers and corresponding learning support programmes may be applied to other Western Cape schools.


3. VOCATIONAL SKILLS TRAINING

ARESTA vocational skills programme includes:

• Food and drinks Service;
• Food preparation;
• Chef Assistant;
• Housekeeping;
• Catering and
• Commercial cleaning

These trainings include Basic English, Life Skills, labor law, On-site training and personalized assessment. After completion of the training, beneficiaries are skilled to work as Housekeeper, Chef assistant, waiters/waitresses and they can work in hospitality industry places such as hotels, guest houses, restaurants and catering companies.

BUSINESS COURSE (Micro-MBA)

This short course prepares our beneficiaries to start a Business and consists:

• Market Research& SWOT Analysis
• Buying& Basic Calculations
• Costing, Pricing& Selling
• Record Keeping& Stock
• Business Plan
• Business Life Skills

In addition to the rich content of the business course, it includes the business mentoring for twelve months after the training, the business registration assistance and we do arrange meetings between the trainees with qualified business advisors for funding opportunities.
Transport fees for the period of the training can be paid to a limited number of trainees who cannot afford ticket and payment of crèche for children whom their parents are attending trainings are available to trainees during the period of the training.

To register, Please contact ARESTA’s Offices at the above-mentioned address.

Admission Criteria:

• Applicants should be registered with the Department of Home Affairs

Places are very limited; apply now to reserve your place

Informal Language Learning

Formal English classes often fail to offer the opportunity for students to spend valuable social time together, and with their teacher. This time is important in terms of establishing a group identity, learning to feel comfortable in a class environment, and practicing the words they are learning. It allows this informal contact so necessary for successful language learning.

Furthermore, learning a skill, which almost instantly produces something beautiful, engenders students with a sense of confidence and achievement, which also encourages better language acquisition.

4. REFUGEE POLICY AND ADVOCACY

 Since its inception the Refugee Policy and Advocacy programme has and continue to play a significant role in the plight of refugees and asylum seekers and in particular; Information about the procedures of application for status at the department of Home Affairs, Labour policies, access to basic services such education, health, banking, understanding South Africa’s policies in respect of the country’s laws. How to live among the local society, empowerment and information about their own rights, updates of the laws from time to time, counselling on specific bureaucratic aspects, and information about human trafficking and other major Human rights issues. 

Information is provided to those wants to gain skills in such as computer, language literacy and short courses is availed to them. Peer educators are placed at Refugee Reception Offices in Maitland and some other services providers such as Cape Town Refugee Centre and Scalabrini Centre of Cape Town, leading open information sessions to the asylum seekers and refugees.

Besides peer education, ARESTA also organized workshops about Refugee and Asylum seeker rights for community leaders and staffs from other Refugee service providers. They are trained to increase their capacity of advising their beneficiaries.

Why is Advocacy important to ARESTA!!!

Advocacy for our cause, including lobbying, is an important activity to bring about change in community attitudes and policies that impact on refugees and asylum seekers. 

5. COMMUNITY EDUCATION CAMPAIGN ACTIVITIES

“Although numerous efforts have been made to fight xenophobic tendencies within the South African society, refugees and asylum seekers reported that xenophobia remains a big concern within their communities... Effort undertaken in order to fight xenophobia have to be further accelerated “(Key findings of UNHCR's participatory assessment exercise, Cape Town, September 2010)
           
Based on the impact of the anti xenophobia education campaign in Cape Town's townships, ARESTA will continue the community education campaign as an ongoing and long-term intervention in townships, to inform and educate Refugees and asylums seekers about their rights and responsibilities, to address xenophobia & prevent xenophobia violence and promote social cohesion "the living together" between South African citizens and foreign nationals.

ARESTA implements the community education campaign as an ongoing prevention strategy seeking to find sustainable solutions to the challenge of integrating refugees & foreign nationals into the South African society, and proactively avoid xenophobic related conflict situations that undermine peaceful co-existence as well as the social cohesion between refugees and local communities.

Promoting and building social cohesion through community education campaign is one of the most efficient ways to lead to a society free from discrimination, racism and xenophobia. In this sense, workshops and awareness activities will continue to be strengthened with the schools and other actors of the local community, like the civic organizations and leaderships’ structures, the local churches, youth development forums, SANCO (South African National Civic Organisation),
VPUU (Violence Prevention through Urban Upgrading), SAPS (South African Police Services)
Local government, Local & Refugee community leaders and the staff of other NGOs working with communities...

Is the prevention of Xenophobia violence possible in South Africa?

In the light of lessons learned during our 2010 Anti xenophobia campaign in Khayelitsha Township and schools around the Cape Peninsula, ARESTA strongly believe that xenophobia attacks on foreign nationals can be prevented in South Africa. We have been just punching over the symptoms, without having to deal with the deep underlined causes of xenophobia, rather than exposing the wounds of the South African society to the sanitize light of the sun. This is the nature of many NGOs approach in tackling xenophobia violence; it is needed and commendable as short term interventions.

On our view, the only way that xenophobia violence can be prevented permanently and sustainability is to deal with the underlined educational & material conditions that raise tensions in communities and lead to xenophobia attacks, i.e. lack of knowledge, misconceptions, stereotypes, inequality, poverty, lack of service delivery, lack of skills development and unemployment. That is the appropriate way of preventing and dealing, in a long term, with the scourge of xenophobia in South Africa.

              

6. INFORMATION & COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

Core to this programme is the provision of progression route to employment and/or further education. The Project provides refugees and asylum seekers the opportunities to connect with other further training and education institutions for career prospects and job opportunities.

ARESTA teaches Introduction to Computer (Software and Hardware) for a duration of 3 months at the first level. The Second level consist to teach the Advanced Microsoft Office (MS Word, MS Excel, MS PowerPoint, ...) and Introduction to Database (Microsoft Access). The third Level is A+ Computer Technician Training for a duration of 6 months.

Central to the training are:

• Confidence Building;
• Access to Basic & Advanced Computer and Internet Skills;
• CV Writing and Interview Skills;
• Basic Employability Skills.

7. HIV/AIDS, LIFESKILLS TRAINING AND GENDER AWARENESS WORKSHOPS

ARESTA organizes HIV/AIDS and Gender Awareness Workshops for the Refugees attending its courses and training.

The purpose of the activity is to contribute to the fight against HIV/AIDS scourge by improving the quality of life of the infected and affected, and building up capacity among the Refugee community, so that they become able to care for the affected and infected and deal with the effects of HIV/AIDS and its manifestations.

In 2009, these workshops will include a Gender awareness part by developing an understanding of the social constructs of gender orientation and fighting against domestic violence.

8. RESEARCH AND INFORMATION

ARESTA has enhanced the research and information on security and development activities in various countries of origin of Refugees and Asylum seekers, to develop appropriate programmes for counseling purposes. ARESTA promotes the voluntary repatriation as alternative to local integration.Thanks to researches conducted, we offer counseling and training that are relevant to refugee home countries.

ARESTA also conducts research on voluntary repatriation operations in the world, especially on the reasons (stumbling blocks) why Refugees don't make the decision to go back to their home countries. ARESTA's research outcomes provide well-documented research and information.

9. INTERN / VOLUNTEER PROGRAMME

The goal of ARESTA Volunteers is to place energetic and motivated volunteers throughout the Cape Town network of Refugee service providers. This gives volunteer's desired experience of working in small NGOs and with Refugees, while at the same time providing the network with human resources, expertise and time, to fill tasks otherwise not accomplished. Volunteers are a valuable resource for innovation and research to enhance our programmes.

As the interns' time spent with the organization is part of the field work required to complete their academic Degree, we involve them in systematic researches on Refugees' issues in South Africa, the African continent and the world. Their researches' outcomes are beneficial to ARESTA. We use their recommendations for our Strategic Planning and Programmes reviews. Interns' work is of great value in our diligence process and ongoing project evaluation.

Any person interested in becoming a part of ARESTA's volunteers program should contact ARESTA to speak with the volunteer manager or e-mail: coordinator@aresta.org.za