Learners from Hanover Park got the chance to learn outside of a classroom during the school holidays.
They attended a community outreach holiday programme, organised by Phillipi police station in partnership with Moms Who Care, a non-governmental organisation (NGO).
At the programme, hosted at a park in Ryston Road on Thursday 26 September, learners were educated on various topics, including substance abuse, sexual offences and the possession of illegal firearms.
Phillipi police station spokesperson Lance Goliath says the station has hosted a range of similar events in the area but this is the first time they worked with the NGO.
“It is important for us to work with all the NGOs to reach the end goal: fighting crime,” Goliath says.
Learners were cautioned to stay away from guns and to rather focus on their school work.
Founder of Moms Who Care, Adeebah Sha, says she was pleased to be part of the event and interact with the youngsters.
The NGO, based in Newfields, was founded last year.
Its programmes include a feeding scheme and relief assistance in the area of Hanover Park.
Sha says it is important to start a conversation about these challenging issues so that they can try and fix it as early as possible.
She adds they also invited young mothers to attend the programme because they realised sometimes children are not safe due to parents’ negligence.
“We decided to invite and speak to them about safety and security issues with regards to their children.
“We find children as young as three, playing in the streets alone,” she says.
She adds they were happy with the turnout but would like to see it grow in the future as the message needs to reach a wider audience.
