Great boost for education

ANGLO American Platinum has donated a pre-school to underprivileged area in Thabazimbi to ensure children get a solid education foundation.

Named the Naomi Baba Day Care Centre, the new facility provides a personal care and learning opportunities to children.

Chairperson of the centre, pastor Bonface Wambua, said the conditions in the old building were unacceptable and the challenges seemed insurmountable.

”When it rained, the asbestos in the ceilings would get wet and make the children sick. Outside, dusty conditions also contributed to the ill health with many of the children and teachers who suffer from asthma. Coupled to this, there is rampant poverty in the area with food and clothing in short supply. Anglo American Platinum originally got involved in our community by donating 3 000 blankets for those in need and our relationship grew from there,” said Wambua.

Wambua said Anglo American Platinum came in and simply asked what their needs were and then started construction on the new facility.

A great benefit to the community was that local labour was used in the construction process, which meant that there was immediate job creation through which many people benefited, according to Wambua.

Social plans manager at Anglo American Platinum, Tshepo Maphutse, said the project aimed to assist learners from underprivileged communities to have access to decent education facilities.

The new facility, now asbestos free, is a source of pride for the local community and helps prepare children for school and giving them a head-start on their education journey.

”My wish for the future is that not only will the children be using the day-care centre, but the whole community.

“The boardroom can be used for extra lessons and other activities. We have never had a facility where local children, who need help with their homework, or extra lessons, could go. Now we can use the boardroom as an aftercare centre, which will ultimately help us generate extra income, ” said deputy principal Kebaweste Maria Sebola.

According to Kathleen McCartney, dean of the Harvard Graduate School of Education in the US, pre-school learning is a vital building block for children as this is where they exposed to numbers, letters, and shapes and more importantly, they learn how to socialise.