FOR the first 15 years of the ‘Pinetown South’ project, Pinetown Rotary Club spent most of its time and money upgrading more than 50 crèches and pre-schools.
Rotary’s community services director, Bill Draper, said they were advised by primary schools that only half of the children entering Grades R and 1 had any previous ‘schooling’ experience.
“The rest were totally inexperienced in education, most had never held a pencil or crayon. These were highly disruptive to the formal education process as well as ‘starting on the back foot’ with their education,” explained Draper.
He said they found that major hindrances were cost and transport.
“We established our ECD outreach programme that brought free pre-schooling to the children. Government promised us assistance but, after three years of waiting, we decided to establish the free ‘Shushuzela Crèche and Pre-school’ in the poorest area of KwaNdengezi.
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“We now, after six months, have more than 90 children and, since ours is the best pre-school around, have to turn away the many applications from wealthier parents,” said Draper.
One of the buildings that operates as a crèche use to be a school before a new school was built in the area. The crèche building was abandoned and vandalised and the Rotarians arranged with the school, Ndengezi High, to let them have the old building in return for their help to support their education needs. So far, the high school has received more than 40 desks plus equipment and our ITEL computerised ‘library’ together with assistance
“This arrangement has been highly successful for both parties and there is a caretaker’s house (providing security for the school and crèche), a kitchen, two classrooms and a spare room.”
He added that the toilets are too far away from the school and are in a shocking condition so they are raising money to convert the spare room into proper toilets later in the year.
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The crèche also has a kitchen where children are given two cooked meals a day. There are eight workers, mostly, volunteers.
“Rotary gives a small monthly payment of R2 500 a month to support the crèche and we have installed two stoves. We have recently connected electricity and the staff will be able to bake cupcakes to sell.
“We started a similar baking project years ago which is very successful, employing six people – and Shushuzela will support itself and pay its’ staff by this method,” explained Draper.
Rotary also supports two knitting groups at Pinehaven Retirement Home with wool.
“The elderly citizens love the work and companionship and turn out hundreds of knitted items a year.”
On Thursday, 12 April, the knitted items were given to the underprivileged children in KwaNdengezi.
Sithembiso Duma, who manages and supervises all 20 plus social delivery projects the Rotary is presently running in the area; together with Dorothy Sanders from the Pinehaven group and Rotarian, Jean Senogles (organiser of that project), handed out the beanies and jerseys to the excited little ones.
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