Harvest Project to provide education to undocumented immigrant children

It is a bit windy and chilly in Brakpan, one of the oldest of the East Rand towns falling under the City of Ekurhuleni.

Here the local community, in partnership with the World Jewish Congress and the South African Jewish Board of Deputies, used Mandela Day yesterday to officially launch the new Eco Communal Centre and classroom at the Harvest Centre of Education and Equality.

More than 100 people attended the launch.

Harvest Centre

The Harvest Centre primarily assists children of undocumented immigrants – mainly from Mozambique and Zimbabwe – and residents of a nearby informal settlement, known as Plastic City, on Main Reef Road close to the town of Brakpan.

Despite the harsh reality that they are stateless and impoverished, the children, as the innocent and beautiful creatures of God that they are, smile and play as people arrive to celebrate the launch of their school.

ALSO READ: Unisa’s 150th anniversary: Historic journey towards accessible education

They sing about Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, their hero, and share their hopes and ambitions with the guests. Later they will exhibit their artworks, including Mandela-inspired pottery.

The Harvest Project was established by Jessie Nkosi and Yakima Waner to help feed undocumented immigrant children who did not have clinic or identity cards during the Covid pandemic.

Because the children are stateless and undocumented, they are unable to get into the South African school system, hence the pair established an early childhood development centre, using the old Brakpan synagogue as its operations centre as the municipality would not allow them to work from Plastic City.

Nkosi and Waner have since fought hard to have the school devoted to these needy children registered. There is a light at the end of the tunnel as what started as a creche has now been approved to offer foundational and intermediate phases of education.

The newly opened eco classroom will be used as a multi-purpose space for extramural activities, community gatherings and learning.

ALSO READ: Gauteng education processes more than 161,000 online admission applications on first day

“Education is the most powerful tool which you can use to change the world,” Waner said, quoting Mandela.

She goes on to relate how she had found Nkosi running this place in 2020 when she was doing a documentary and then joined her.

“We fed so many mouths during the hard times of Covid,” Waner said. “We are still feeding so many mouths today, that is how amazing God has been.”

Education and Equality

Nkosi, who is the principal of the Harvest Centre of Education and Equality, points out how difficult it was to run this type of establishment – especially without government on your side.

ALSO READ: School vouchers: IRR proposes radical shift to overhaul ailing education system

“We also have financial difficulties because we have to keep this place running; it costs thousands of rands which we don’t have. It is by mercy of God that we are still here,” she said.

The children who attend the school are mostly toddlers, until 11 years old. They are taught important life skills, such as sustaining the environment where they live by looking after it, and growing the food they consume.

“It is just amazing how children plant seeds of vegetables and look after those plants from the infant stage until they become food. It is therapeutic in that we instil hope and growth among them,” said Waner.

ALSO READ: School nutrition programme gets R9.2bn of basic education dept’s R31.8bn budget

“You have created hope where once there was only desperation. While three years ago times were very tough for all South Africans, for this community – migrants and refugees from other African countries – it was devastating.

“You are mostly helping people who had lost hope and creating opportunities for those who had none.”