Masicorp is an industry leading non-profit organisation, specialising in quality education and skills development for both children and adults living in Masiphumelele. The Chasmay Road Campus where Masicorp’s Head Office is situated is teeming with life and one needs to visit the grounds in person to fully appreciate the work that is happening here. With approximately three hundred daily visitors who access the education, training, and social support projects and programmes available on the campus, it is a vibrant and important facility for the local community of Masiphumelele and Ocean View.

The Chasmay Road Campus, located immediately adjacent to Masiphumelele, is owned by City of Cape Town (CoCT). Masicorp has informally managed the campus since 2014, and formally since 2018. Under Masicorp’s management, the Campus has been maintained as an attractive, secure location for community-based non-profit organisations to operate and has fulfilled the objectives set out by the City of Cape Town in the head lease. Masicorp is pleased to report that the campus is currently 95% let with 17 non-profit business tenants.

A Central Hub of Help

The Campus is a central hub of help. The non-profit organisations operating here have formed a charity village empowering people in the local community through creative programmes that upskill and educate.

Have a look at the various non-profit businesses on campus to get deeper insight into all our efforts.

Masicorp

Masicorp is a non-profit organisation that was founded in 1999 and works with the people of Masiphumelele primarily through education and skills development initiatives. Our vision is that everyone in Masiphumelele should have access to quality education, training, advice and support.

This vision is being achieved by working with the people of Masiphumelele and key partners, offering opportunities through education to help residents progress out of poverty towards a sustainable livelihood. Masicorp has a total of 24 programmes ranging from early childhood development (ECD) through to primary school, high school, school sports development, life skills and adult skills and development.

Chasmay Educare

The school came under Masicorp management in 2017 and at that time, it only accommodated 50 children. In 2019, renovations and upgrades to the buildings and playground were undertaken and as a result Chasmay Educare currently has 5 well-equipped classrooms consisting of:

• • 2 x grade R classes
  • 2 x pre-grade R classes
  • 1 x large 3-4yrs old class

The children are cared for from 7:30 am to 4:30 pm, where they receive breakfast, a fruit snack, a cooked lunch and have a rest time. The new addition of a vegetable garden means we are able to provide fresh vegetables to many of our beneficiaries all year round.

Masicorp Stay and Play

Most of the informal crèche operators in Masiphumelele do not have formal experience or training in early childhood development. Their crèches are not equipped with suitable toys and structured learning that young children need to learn and grow optimally. Masicorp Stay and Play was developed out of this need and aims to encourage the caregivers/ crèche owners to see how important the early years of a child’s life are.

Masicorp Stay and Play is offered to caregivers from informal creches and children under 5 years old. The goal is to encourage caregivers to both socialize with each other as a form of peer support as well as provide a transfer of skills, learning how to play with and teach the children in their care. These sessions take place on the grounds of Chasmay Educare.

Masicorp Computer Training Centre

Our computer training programme has historically been operating from the Masi Library, but due to the high demand for their support and programmes, a second Training Centre was opened at the Chasmay Road Campus in March 2020. This centre provides accredited International Computer Driving Licence (ICDL) training and qualifications for Masi High School students as well as young adults free of charge.

The Chasmay Road Campus Computer Literacy Hub is now exclusively used for ICDL training which ensures less disruptions and allows each registered student more training hours per week as students are encouraged to come outside of class time to practice their skills on the computers. Additionally, due to the increased space at the Chasmay Road Campus the programme can cater for more students per class as it can accommodate more computers.

MCC Masi 750 Sports Club

The MCC Masi 750 Sports Club has rejuvenated sport at Ukhanyo Primary School in Masiphumelele. Up until 2017, the school had only one netball court and no playing fields. Through the work of the MCC Masi 750 Sports Club, the following has been accomplished at Ukhanyo Primary School:

• • • • 17 sports teams each with sports uniforms
      • Sports coaches increased from one to seventeen
      • Introduced cricket, soccer and cycling as school sports in 2018
      • Increased the after-school participation by 35%
      • Secured seven staff members who volunteer as after school sport coaches
      • Built two 40m x 20m artificial playing fields and three cricket nets
      • Entered sports teams into the official school leagues for the first time
      • Enabled under 7, 8 and 9 groups to play in the KFC mini-cricket, tag rugby, netball and soccer leagues
      • Partnered with Coolplay to ensure that each sports practice begins with a life-skills sessions
      • Continuous professional development and support to the Ukhanyo Primary School coaches

The programme has been extended to Masiphumelele High School. The initial project has accomplished the following:

• • • • The construction of two netball courts
      • The provision of coaches for soccer, netball and chess
      • The provision of equipment, posts and kit for the three sports
      • The delivery of the ‘Cool to Lead’ workshop to all grade 8 learners

Surfpop

Surfpop, a community based non-profit organisation was founded in 2015, with the aim to establish a way out for children from disadvantaged communities, leading them away from gangsterism, crime and drugs. The ‘way out’ entails a new outlook on life, brought about by the love for surfing and the ocean.

Each week after school the children participate in two surf sessions and three education classes, complemented by daily nutritious meals. In addition to the surf and education programme provided, Surfpop also undertakes regular beach clean-up initiatives.

Ubuntu Football Academy

Ubuntu football academy is a non-profit football academy with the mission to mentor and educate the next generation of great African leaders. The academy enrolls students at the age of 11-years old and for the next 7 years of their life, the academy invests in them by providing the following:

• • • • Elite soccer training
      • A quality education through their independent school
      • Mentorship and leadership training

Masi Violin Outreach

Masi Violin Outreach is the product of the Bishops and Masi Outreach Program and is where local school going children from the age of nine are taught how to play violin in group classes held at their classroom at the Chasmay Road Campus. The philosophy behind this program is best summed up in the words of Shinichi Suzuki: “If children hear fine music from the day of their birth and learn to play it, they develop sensitivity, discipline and endurance. They get a beautiful heart.”

Rainbow Dreams Trust

Rainbow Dreams Trust has two programmes operating out of the Chasmay Road Campus.

• • • • Masiphumelele TBACA (To Be A Child Again) Youth Club.

Considering the challenging circumstances facing township youth, Rainbow Dreams Trust have developed Youth Clubs within Phillipi, Imizamo Yethu, Hout Bay, khayelitsha and Masiphumelele to guide and mentor youth at risk. The clubs operate five days a week and are led by Club Leaders and tutors who work together with the children’s parents and school teachers.

• • • • Rainbow Dreams Trust Choir Club

Rainbow Dreams Trust have recently opened Rainbow Dreams Trust 5-day Choir Club at the Chasmay Road Campus, where the main emphasis will be to create a new RDT Choir. The club’s curriculum will be voice, elementary site reading, as well as dance, drama, upliftment, life skills and academic tutoring.

Sakhisiwe Community Training College

The Sakhisiwe Community Training College is the result of the community leaders from Masiphumelele identifying the need for a night school to assist adult learners to complete their high school education. The College operates as a night school with classes taking place at Ukhanyo Primary School in Masiphumelele in the evenings, while the administration office is located at the Chasmay Road Campus which is open during the day.

The Sakhisiwe Community Training College is registered with the Department of Higher Education and training (DHET) and students fall under the Western Cape Community College. The Sakhisiwe Community Training College prepares students, aged 16 upwards, for the GET certificate and the Senior Certificate.

The Sewing Café

The focus of the Sewing Café is skills training, which is supported by our cut, make and trim (CMT) garment producing factory. The CMT prides itself on delivering quality professional products, while offering local business the opportunity to invest in the community of Masiphumelele by providing students with the possibility of work while learning a skill. The Sewing Cafe offers basic sewing training, consisting of pattern making and CMT, to 2 classes of 13 students every 6 months and works in close association with Evangeline Ministries (Life Skills Programme), Masicorp and CLOTEX.

Songezo Jim Cycling Academy

The non-profit organisation, Songezo Cycling Academy was established by professional cyclist Songezo Jim with the assistance of a few friends from the Netherlands.

The Academy offers the youth from Masiphumelele an opportunity to participate in cycling as a much-needed recreational activity and exposes them, through their cycling participation, to higher levels of competition, bicycle maintenance and many general life skills. In addition to the Songezo Cycling Academy, the Songezo Road Cycling Team was developed to make competitive cycling events and championships more accessible to those with a competitive edge and ability.

AWOL Tours – Bicycle township tours

AWOL started operating Bicycle Township Tours in Masiphumelele in 2002 in conjunction with BEN, a non-profit organisation that imports second-hand bikes, trains bike mechanics, and assists entrepreneurs to operate bicycle shops in communities.

AWOL’s Community-based Bicycle Tours provide insight into township life through their cycling tours in the community of Masiphumelele. They have trained local tour guides from the community who have now gained entry to the tourism industry and expanded their future career prospects.

Evangeline Ministries – Helping woman who live with HIV and AIDS

Evangeline Ministries runs a Life Skills program for disadvantaged women, many of whom are HIV positive, from the township of Masiphumelele. This programme aims to give them basic skills to improve their earning capacity and point them to Jesus Christ, the Hope of Life. Since its start in 2006, over 500 women and men have graduated from the programme and received a certificate of completion as well as new sewing machine.

Ikamva Labantu – Promotes active aging for older persons through senior clubs

Ikamva Labantu is a non-profit organisation that runs 17 community-based seniors clubs which operate daily and provide care and support services to nearly 600 older persons. They provide a safe place for the seniors of the local community to meet daily for group activities, mutual support and lunch.

Isithembiso – Children of Promise

Isithembiso offers workshops at the Chasmay Road campus free of charge to youth from Masiphumelele that have previously been involved in the Isithembiso project. Their hope is that youth will discover a passion and uncover their potential in a safe environment where their growth and development is stimulated. Isithembiso will provide 4 to 5 courses per year, which will run from between 6-10 weeks.

MASI Creative Hub

Masi Creative Hub provides a space for recreational activities and community projects such as rehearsal space for Carnival entries (awarded ‘Best Entertainment’ in 2018) and mobilisation of a massive food drive to feed the community during Lockdown Level 5 and 4.

In addition, Masi Creative Hub run an after-school programme, which uses art therapy at its core – encouraging participation from Masiphumelele youth to better utilise their own community resources and increase their social skills.

Join a Winning Team with a Proven Formula

Masicorp has become a trail blazer by pioneering a path towards quality education for disadvantaged communities like Masiphumelele. A donation to any one our programmes is an investment into the future of the community of Masi. For the latest education news and to see how we are making a difference for the people in Masiphumelele follow us on Facebook.

If you are in quest of something more authentic, we welcome visitors and volunteers to spend a day in our programmes. Join our Voluntourism programme to experience the heartbeat of Masiphumelele.