What Homework Club Looks Like
The walk home in Shakashead might look ordinary. Children spill out of taxis, weave through the streets, or arrive hand-in-hand with siblings they’ve been caring for. By afternoon, their school day is over but their responsibilities are not. Many will return to crowded houses, younger brothers and sisters to watch over, and the unspoken pressure of keeping up in classrooms where teachers race through curriculums with too many learners and too few resources. But inside one simple space, something different is happening. Here, kids aren’t rushing to catch up they’re finding room to breathe, to belong, and to dream.
This is Homework Club.
Owami’s Story
Owami is one of Homework Club’s most consistent students. Our Homework Club volunteers laugh when they say he gives himself extra assignments, even when none are due. His hunger to learn is relentless.
Yet just a year ago, things looked different. Owami had recently moved from the Eastern Cape, where English and Zulu weren’t his main languages. He struggled in class. Reading felt like a mountain to climb however at our Parents Morning, his mother beamed as she shared how far he’s come:
“Useyazibhalela amahomework ache” — “He now writes his own homework.”
She added her gratitude: “Muhle umsebenzi eniwena nezihgane zethu” — “You are doing wonderful work with our children.”
For her, the change is clear: Owami now comes alive with confidence, eager to read, eager to write, eager to chase a future once out of reach.
More Than Homework
Homework Club is built around three simple programmes:
- Read to Me – sparking a love for reading through the Gateway into Reading curriculum.
- Step Ahead – teaching social-emotional skills like self-awareness, regulation, and healthy relationships.
- Play to Learn – using playful tools like LEGO Six Bricks to bridge learning gaps with creativity.
But beyond the programmes, the real impact is harder to measure: friendships formed, confidence rebuilt, and futures widened. As our Programme Coordinator Georgia put it after watching her own sister thrive here:
“It’s a reminder that when children are given a safe space to learn, grow, and belong, something powerful awakens in them.”
Partnership with Linc College
This year, Linc College students joined our volunteer team — and the impact has flowed both ways.
Darren recalls: “I thought we’d just help with homework and play games — but it became so much more. I’ll never forget Easter week, hiding eggs, sharing the story of the resurrection, and even being nicknamed ‘Dizzy.’”
Another student shared: “At first it was daunting, but soon I was excited to return each week. The kids are so intelligent and full of life — it’s a privilege to help them and see them light up when they understand something.”
For many, what began as community service has become calling. “I leave every Tuesday inspired by the kids’ resilience and gratitude,” one volunteer said.
A Glimpse Into the Future
- Bright eyes. Open futures.
- Kids dreaming of becoming doctors, engineers, teachers, leaders.
- Children imagining solutions their parents never could.
Homework Club is more than an after-school programme. it’s a glimpse of a future being rewritten in real time.
Every week, we see kids stepping in. And with them, a community finding its heartbeat again.