Celebrating the right to live a meaningful life

56 years after the Sharpville massacre, South Africans are still fighting for their right to live a dignified life with a soaring rate of unemployment.
As an organisation with a mission to equip people to live a meaningful life, we are grateful to be playing a part, however small, in restoring dignity and self-esteem to members of our community.
Eager for an opportunity to improve their lives, young unemployed people are visiting us daily to join our Job Readiness programme. This course equips people with the skills needed to find employment. Customer Service, Point of Sale, Basic PC skills and Life skills are taught as candidates are taken on a 3 week journey of self-discovery and development of values, skills and attitudes required in the workplace. On completion of their training, students have an opportunity to share how the training has impacted their lives.

Eileen Van Schalkwyk, (20) from Fisantekraal reflected: “every day you learn something new about life and overcome things that you never would have thought you could overcome. I started having more faith in God and believe that God is always there for you no matter what you’re going through and that one day He will wipe every tear that we shed from our eyes. Thinking about my Life Story was really helpful – I was not able to share in class, but it felt really good to write about it”.

Elaine Booysen (31) from Klipheuwel realised that “You are never too old to learn and that she sees every day as a challenge.”
Terence Terblanche (18) from Fisantekraal said that he would recommend FCD to his friends “because you learn so much and gain a lot of experience and its fun. It helped me get over my shyness and work harder. I’m really thankful for the life skills classes. You hear things about what other people are going through and discover that there are always people with problems bigger than yours.

Sonwabile Mjakuca (25) from Khayelitsha said that he found the course useful because it helped him see things differently than he used to. He said: “I managed to look deep down inside of me while I was afraid of doing so for a long time. I now know my rights and responsibilities and know that I should not be treated like a toy and that I will also have to treat others with dignity and respect.”
Chrizelda Snyers (27) from ElsiesRiver shared that she’s been encouraged to return to church. She also said that she was very shy and did not like it to work in groups but spending time at FCD really helped her to change in these areas.
Shomonia Vlotman (30) from Paarl said that the life skills helped her to find herself, to learn from her mistakes and to become a better person. “I learned to be more forgiving and loving towards others. I learned more about myself and I overcame my fear of talking in front of people. The life skills gave me lots of confidence in myself and the basic computer training refreshed my knowledge of how the computer works. I realised that I did a lot of things wrong in my relationships but I’m glad I did this course because now I know what to do and not to do in a relationship”.
Cynthia Russell (21) from Delft said: “I’ve learned more about myself. Never did I know I can be this open about my life”.

Feedback from the March 2016 Job Readiness class (pictured above) was insightful and encouraging.

Luyanda Mamle     3/18/2016     “FCD is not just a center for developmet, but it is  a place that a person can refer to as a home for the hopeless. It is like speaking with family members. The most beautiful thing about this center,    it lets you win your self belief back. However, it also teaches you how to  behave and the most importantly…. effective communication…      The enviroment is a little bit too small, but surely some restructuring will be made…otherwise the course is excellent and outstanding.  I come from a family where nobody believes in God, so it is difficult to follow the Christian Life. My parents are modern and they believe in ancestors, which I found unperfect.  My understanding, belief and my faith was a little bit small, but when Grant taught us how to read our Holy Books, I started to read mine and tried to follow the strategies that Grant taught me. I can now proudly say “I am a Christian and I love God, because He loves me too.”

Anelisa Dondolo    3/18/2013  “I  have learnt more about myself, and I now know what I have to in order to achieve my goals.  I would recommend that you give more time for computer. I have learnt to pray and thank God everyday when I wake up and sleep – something that I had forgotten to do before I came here.    I have also learnt to finally accept  the negative things that have happened in my life. I am looking forward to having a bright future because I know my strengths and I will keep working on my weaknesses.  I have confidence in my communication skills now and know how to solve conflict without fighting with a person. I can work on making my relationships better and cut out the people that have a negative impact in my life. I am also  more active in my community as I joined a boxing group and help by talking to young girls and boys so that they can know more about the club and join. The HIV/Aids and TB session made me more aware of the dangers of these disease and am living a more healthier  and responsible life to protect myself from them.”

Ronel Williams  3/18/2016 FCD changed my life the since the day I started here. I learned so much during these 3 weeks. In the computer class I was learning how to use a computer and guess what… I never knew how a computer works, but now I know. I can go out now with my skills to improve my life.  The life skills impacted my life so dearly because now I know that I am a very special person. I didn’t know that in the first place. I have found myself again after a long time. I feel like a new person and have a great BIG smile on my face again”.