Asikhulisane Kids Clubs

Since its launch in 2014, Asikhulisane has served 3,040 children (ages 5-11) each year.

In 2014, GCA identified the need for a program directed specifically to vulnerable children not yet old enough to participate in the residential camp program.  Former campers who attended Youth Clubs regularly brought their younger siblings whose care they were responsible for during the hours that clubs were held on Saturdays.  When counselors at the Youth Clubs notified parents that the Clubs were intended for children between the ages of 12 and 19 (former campers), mothers from the community approached the Club leaders and explained that the younger children also needed basic life skills education.  In one mother’s words, “sometimes by the time the children are 12, it is too late.”  

Thanks to the support of a LinkedIn Innovation Grant, the intentional camp model that GCA employs for its adolescent participants has been adapted for children between the ages of 5 and 11 years, and specifically addresses basic health information, children’s rights, and the development of children’s personal strength and resilience.