When a project ends
In 2023, Community Keepers partnered with National Treasury’s Jobs Fund. The 3-year agreement was built on an expansion model prioritising the creation of new jobs for unemployed social workers and unemployed young people.
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The young people were to be trained in Mental Health First Aid and enrolled for a formal qualification as Social Auxiliary Workers.
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The added appeal was that the work that these teams would do was to counsel, support and bolster the socio-emotional literacy of learners in high risk areas, and GBV hot spots, where heightened anxiety, low mood and disruptive behaviours are barriers to learning – thus improving the learners’ future employability. In conversation with other stakeholders, the focus areas were identified as schools in Mamelodi and Eersterust (19), the rural areas of the Eastern Cape (8) and Western Cape (17).
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The project was deemed a success. Delivered on time and on budget. The third year, 2025, was contracted as self-funded with the idea that the proven project be outboarded into the 3-year funding cycles as set out by national and provincial Departments of Social Development. This unfortunately did not materialise due to the widely publicised budget cuts.
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Follow on funding was secured for the 44 Care Facilitators, for one year, and the 17 Western Cape sites. Additional capacity was allocated to focus specifically on raising the funds needed for Gauteng while we continued to fund the project from our healthy reserves. Tragically, the impact of the US funding cuts dealt a further blow to our best efforts.
As the National Treasury agreement came to a close, we were not able to secure a follow on sponsor for the Eastern Cape and Gauteng sites and we had to wind up the program in those areas. We bid a very sad farewell to our past clients, partner schools and our colleagues.
Aside from immediate crisis interventions and counselling, our C.A.R.E. model sets out to equip learners and their caregivers with tools and skills for lifelong wellness. This continues to be a key element in our sustainability plan.
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The learning that now shapes the way we move forward is that our work is most sustainable when we contractually agree on a 3-year timeline where services are delivered on a mutually agreed bell curve; ramping up our capacity and service, as we destigmatise help seeking and address critical concerns, before tapering off our service as we equip the entire school community for lifelong wellbeing.
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Thank you to everyone who has journeyed with us. It is not easy.