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PLETTENBERG BAY NEWS - Great things happen when people work together and this was proven when a tiny crèche in one of Plettenberg Bay’s poorest communities was transformed into a haven for about 100 children.
The New Life Centre in Bossiesgif – which started as a soup kitchen and grew into a crèche over the past decade when a local woman realised the need for early childhood development in the community – has received a major revamp over the past few weeks thanks to the cooperation by Joint Aid Management (JAM) Germany, JAM SA and Bitou Family Care.
Thandiswa Gqukani, who runs the centre, said she and some volunteers from the community started a soup kitchen in Bossiesgif in 2009 to address poverty in the area.
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Real need identified
“During this time we noticed how many small children were not attending any school. We realised the need for early childhood development and therefore started the crèche to give these children the opportunity to receive the education they needed and deserved,” Gqukani said.
The new playground facilities.
Gqukani, along with several volunteers, worked with the children, but soon the numbers outgrew the facilities which consisted of a small hall, which also served as a church.
“We dreamed of a place where the children could play and have adequate space and optimal conditions to learn.”
Before the construction started in February, Gqukani and her team had 95 children at the centre.
'Prayer answered'
“This is a prayer that has been answered,” an emotional Gqukani said at the official opening on Friday 2 March.
The crèche now boasts four beautifully decorated classrooms, bathrooms, a “hall”, a kitchen area and fully equipped playground with a jungle gym, slides, a sandpit, swings and push bikes.
Bitou Family Care’s Elisabeth Wenz said the organisation was invited to host their children’s programme in Bossiesgif a few years ago and met Gqukani then.
“She didn’t have the facilities to look after the children, there was no playground and not even space outside for the children to play,” Wenz said.
Connecting role players
The family care centre then connected JAM Germany, which raised the funds, with JAM South Africa, which had the necessary infrastructure in South Africa, with the crèche to make the project happen.
“In South Africa, 23% of all preschoolers do not receive adequate nutrition," said JAM SA managing director David Brown at the opening.
He added that one could not expect these children to flourish in the education system, which is why JAM is trying to address the issue and has managed to improve the nutrition of 120 000 children in South Africa.
Thandiswa Gqukani, who runs a crèche in one of Plettenberg Bay's most impoverished communities, proudly leads the little learners to their newly constructed learning environment in Bossiesgif on Friday 2 March. Photos: Yolandé Stander
R50 to feed a child
“This is only a drop in the bucket as there are about 2-million that need help. It costs about R50 per month to feed a child.
”Brown said that, coupled with the inadequate nutrition, many children have to attend school in horrific conditions.
“We see children that have to endure freezing temperatures or scorching heat without proper ventilation and therefore today is very important to us.”
JAM SA will be supplying the crèche with JAM porridge for the first year of operation.
JAM Germany raised more than R850 000 for the renovation of the crèche and their team of volunteers assisted with the work.
“All the volunteers gave up their annual leave to come to South Africa for this project. They had to pay their own airfare and food and accommodation. It shows how important this is to all of us.”
ARTICLE & PHOTO: YOLANDÉ STANDER, KNYSNA-PLETT HERALD CORRESPONDENT
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