Helam and community members support vulnerable children

The Slimkop project has been running for approximately six years and is a joint venture between Helam mine, Hannatjie Visser, her daughter, Chrisna, and family in Ireland and some friends. The project was born out of the need to support the local underprivileged community in educating its children. Mrs Visser was principal of Radikwega, a farm school in the North West province that was closed down by the Department of Education in 2004 as part of a cost-cutting measure. This forced the community to send their children to the Swartruggens Combined School 30km away - an impractical measure as most of the affected families were destitute.

In response Mrs Visser and her daughter, Chrisna based in Dublin, initiated the sponsorship fund, which caters for up to six children. The fund ensures the children are enrolled in the school hostel on the school grounds to alleviate the transport issue and receive basic accommodation, a study area as well as three meals a day. Four of these children on the project spend the school holidays at the nearby Visser family farm.

There are six learners on the Slimkop project two of whom, a girl and a boy, are directly supported by Helam mine. Both learners are eighteen years old and in Grade 12, the last year of their high school at the Swartruggens Combined School. Learners on the project are chosen on merit and family circumstances. The project caters for school fees, tutoring, hostel accommodation, clothing, uniforms, stationery and anything else they require to perform well at school.

The sponsored girl is an orphaned, vulnerable child who was found abandoned at a bus stop as a baby. She was found and adopted by Willemina, Mrs Visser's domestic help. Willemina later passed on due to ill health. She has been supported by the project for six years and currently lives in the school hostel. She visits her distant relatives in Johannesburg over the school holidays.

The sponsored boy's parents are still alive but do not contribute to his upbringing or education. He lives in the school hostel and works on the Visser family farm to earn some pocket money over the holidays. He is excelling in his studies and is a keen sportsman who would like to work at Helam mine after matric as well as receive training in the mining field.

Another girl, presently 16 years old and in Grade 9, left the Swartruggens Combined School at the end of 2009 to continue her studies at a school in Pretoria where she is being mentored by Professor Bodenstein. Professor Bodenstein is retired from UNISA in Pretoria and is a friend of Mrs Visser. This girl had the highest marks in Afrikaans in Grade 6.

The two current Helam Slimkop project beneficiaries are hard working learners who are very grateful for Helam's contribution towards their future. The mine pledges to support them as far as possible and will offer them internships and learnerships at Helam on condition that they continue to excel in their studies.

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