Former teacher uses her pension to start daycare centre
The founder of Excellent Day Care, Edwina Mametja, says she was a schoolteacher all her life and retired from the Department of Education about two years ago.
Her passion for teaching and caring for children continued and she started a daycare centre at Emanual General Apostolic Church close to her home in The Oaks. In May 2022 she used some of her pension money to build the new Excellent Day Care centre next to the church. Although there is still a lot of work to be done, the doors officially opened on Mandela Day last year.
Five children from Gorutha Centre who will graduate this year, Nhluvuko Khoza, Peter Mutsetse, Kelly Chitau, Augusto Bosta and Lethabo Ngobeni, accompanied by the principal, Francinah Masete, and the practitioner, Kgaugelo Moeng, personally delivered the donation of their toys to Excellent Day Care. The children were excited to be part of the occasion, they played together and showed them how to use the toys.
Also read: Holiday garden fun for kids
Masete encouraged Mametja to keep up the good work and gave her advice on how to run a crèche successfully that will benefit not only the children but the community as well. Mametja and her staff, Dina Harris, Jane Lewele and Josephine Mangena are appealing to the community for donations to complete and furnish the building.
Mametja says some of the immediate needs range from wall paint to a ceiling, small tables, rails and curtains, toys, a jungle gym for play outside, swings, stationery, bookshelves, storage boxes, carpets, office furniture and kitchen utensils. The children from Gorutha Centre at Bavaria Fruit Estate in Hoedspruit generously donated some of their toys to the children of Excellent Day Care in The Oaks on Mandela Day. Above all they produce and food products. To help Mametja furnish her new centre, call 082 954 0815 or email mametjamphekgee@gmail.com.
