Hugs of joy for 67 minutes

Goodie bags filled with sweets, chips, chocolates and juice, lit up the faces of young children.

July 25, 2019

Tersia Gopi 1 minute read

Spending 67 minutes and beyond on Mandela Day, the staff at the Newcastle Advertiser visited the children at Peter Pan Creche in Fairleigh.

Goodie bags filled with sweets, chips, chocolates and juice, lit up the faces of young children.

Earlier this year, Peter Pan Pre-Primary Crechè, a subsidiary of the Newcastle Child Welfare was on the verge of closing its doors after 35 years due to administrative issues.

This in turn affected the staff, parents and ultimately the children of the school.

Since its relaunch in March however, the creche has improved thanks to Centre Manager, Maxine Dladla and her husband, Kevin.

Structural damage and playground refurbishment are still major sources of concern.

Despite these challenges, the 12 children – who range from two to five years old – receive three nutritional meals a day, and Maxine and her team ensure values and life lessons are instilled in their young minds.

Staff at the creche also received level one first aid training from Sandile and Sifiso Thwala, sponsored by Ka-Maphatha Consulting and Developments, and also taught the children basic life saving skills.