KNYSNA NEWS - The pupils and teachers from The Learning Tree pre-school raised awareness of their clean-up programme on Nelson Mandela Day and gave gifts to workers who are striving to keep the Sanlam Centre in Nekkies litter-free.
"Car wash workers, members of the community and the CWP (Community Work Programme) workers have done a fantastic job of helping to clear the huge backlog of litter in the Sanlam Centre," Julie Hoffmann, the principal of the school, run by the Knysna Education Trust, said.
"So on Mandela Day TLT (The Learning Tree) marched up to Nekkies from the school in Khayalethu to create awareness and give these people boxes of treats to acknowledge them for the work they are doing to clean the area and make it safe for our community."
She said the school had started its clean-up programme, called Kasi Clean Up, about six weeks ago, "to help support the community in cleaning up the kasi (township) in the Nekkies area, where some of our families live".
"We have been supporting the CWP workers, who clear litter, with donated black bags, gloves, rakes etc as these items are not supplied consistently or not at all by the municipality.
"There were no bins in the area and we have arranged to have concrete bins (sections of unused drainage pipes) ... donated and delivered by B&V contractors.
"The municipality has been encouraged to collect filled (rubbish) bags daily. The municipality will also be bringing up more unused storm water pipes to use as much-needed bins."
Knysna Revive had donated rakes, gloves and plastic black rubbish bags to the CWP workers.
"We have managed to solve a lot of the water, drainage and sewage leaks with the support of the Knysna Infrastructure Group and Knysna municipality. Our school caretakers have spent a day clearing draining channels so the water flows out of the area into the stormwater channels," Hoffmann said.
"Organic waste is collected from the businesses in the area and is collected by local pig owners, so is not included in the general rubbish to go to landfills.
"There is still a lot to do, but we are taking it one day at a time and with the little support we as a school are able to give, things at Sanlam are slowly turning around."
There are 100 children, aged 2 to 6, at The Learning Tree, and the tuition fees of 50% of them are paid for by private sponsors.
On 9 August, Women's Day, The Ingrid Diesel Golf Day will be held at the Pezula Championship Course, Knysna, and funds raised during the event will be used to offer school fee support to children attending The Learning Tree through the Ingrid Diesel Fund managed by the Knysna Education Trust.
‘We bring you the latest Garden Route, Hessequa, Karoo news’
