Heather McNiel Dakpogan &
Nkosinathi Sixabayi |

KUYASA | HATS & GLASSES

www.kuyasa-empowerment.org
Kuyasa is a not for profit, faith based organization that is situated in the middle of a township called Kayamandi, not far from Cape Town, South Africa. Kuyasa’s mission is to enable children and youth from disadvantaged communities to become interdependent while embracing Christian values. The dream is that they will lead and empower others to follow the same set of values.

At present Kuyasa has up to 500 youth, children and adults attending the center daily and reaches up to 1,300 people every month.

One of the programs operating out of Kuyasa is Hats and Glasses. This program came about as an initiative to keep young people off the streets by creating supportive peer relationships. Through friendships with each other and their leaders, the youth have been empowered to develop spiritually and acquire biblically based life skills, enabling them to make positive choices and change dangerous lifestyles. Ultimately, it is hoped that they will develop into the leaders of tomorrow.

There are currently 30 members with a core leadership team of five youths. The majority of Hats and Glasses members are active participants in other Kuyasa Programs, regularly serving in the Learning Centre, youth holiday camps and Feeding Scheme.