Breaking the Cycle of Poverty: Cape Flats Youth Development Programme Teaches Literacy and Numeracy

In the heart of Capricorn Park, the Cape Flats Youth Development Programme (CFYDP) is making an impact—one learner at a time. The goal of  (CFYDP) is to ensure that every child who walks through its doors can read and write by 2028.

Why literacy? Because for founder Ester Wollenschlager Uys, literacy means freedom from poverty. Her work in a Lansdowne children’s home revealed a heartbreaking trend: countless children unable to read or write, who are then locked out of opportunity from an early age. That realisation sparked the birth of CFYDP in 2017.

Since then, over 1,200 children from Ithemba and Zirelda Park Primary Schools have been equipped with foundational literacy and numeracy skills. Their transformation is visible in classrooms, in report cards, and in the growing confidence of children who once struggled to spell their names.

CFYDP’s targeted support doesn’t just improve grades; it alters life trajectories. Children who can read can dream. Children who can write can advocate. And with support from the National Lottery Commission, CFYDP continues to rewrite futures.

Trauma-Informed Care in Schools: How CFYDP is Changing the Conversation

In Capricorn Park, children are often navigating more than just homework; they face violence, bullying, and instability at home and in their communities. Recognising this reality, the Cape Flats Youth Development Programme (CFYDP) has embedded trauma-informed care at the heart of it support for children and their caregivers.

“A child who is suffering from trauma cannot focus on learning,” says founder Ester Wollenschlager Uys. CFYDP’s approach isn’t just academic — it’s holistic, addressing the emotional and psychological wounds that too often go unseen. With the addition of social worker Chelsea Augustine in 2024, the organisation offers therapy, counselling, and family engagement, ensuring no child falls through the cracks.

The need is urgent and recently CFYDP intervened when a child reported abuse by a foster parent. Thanks to Chelsea’s presence and the trust built within schools, the child was safely placed in a protective environment.

CFYDP is proving that when we address the whole child, healing and learning can happen side by side.