Young Adult Service Corps - Grahamstown: January 2012

There are many who believe that education is the key to helping South Africa begin to solve the challenges the country now faces. Unfortunately, The Department of Education in South Africa finds itself in a position where it is unable to provide quality education to many children in the system. The majority of children in South Africa attend schools that are funded by the government and are usually found in the townships. More often than not, these schools are deprived of resources, facilities, and quality teachers. It makes one wonder what this will mean for the lives of the children who are losing out on education and what it means for the future of the country.

The Holy Cross School that was founded by Mariya uMama weThemba Monastery was established in order to provide for the children living on the outskirts of Grahamstown who would normally fall through the cracks of the Department of Education. The Anglican (Episcopal) Benedictine monks of the Order of the Holy Cross who established The Holy Cross School made it their goal to see that these children received the proper resources, facilities, and quality teaching they would need in order to establish a solid educational foundation that would help them later on in life. This past week the monks took a major step towards their goal as The Holy Cross School opened up its doors to start the new school year in a brand new school building.

The new school building is comprised of 5 classrooms, an assembly room, a kitchen, bathrooms, a principal’s office and has all the teaching resources needed to provide these children with the education they deserve. It is an exciting time at the school and monastery to have a brand new building and to have new faces present as we start the New Year. It may seem like a small step when compared to the overall challenges the country faces in terms of education, but small steps can make amazing changes.

To learn more about the Order of the Holy Cross and the lives and ministry of the monks in Grahamstown, please visit their website at www.umaria.co.za. The Order was founded in 1884 on the lower East Side of New York City where the monks worked with German immigrants. Two American schools, Kent School in Kent, CT and St. Andrew’s in Sewanee, TN were founded by the Order.