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Thanks to financial support from the Kouga Wind Farm Community Development Trust, Christmas arrived earlier this year for two Early Childhood Development Centres (ECD) in Humansdorp after they received newly-built classrooms which will allow them to provide quality early learning and development to the children in their respective communities.
Sarah Atmore, infrastructure manager for the Centre for Early Childhood Development (CECD), said that they have been appointed by the Kouga Wind Farm Community Development Trust to complete various projects at 40 ECD centres throughout the Kouga region.
She said that the project began in 2020 and will continue for a total of five years.
She said that in addition to building new classrooms, they also provide the ECD centres with the necessary equipment and training to ensure they have good quality ECD programmes in place.
“Many of the ECD centres in the area were initially established by women in the community who saw that there was a need for a place for children. It is, however, important that they receive the necessary training and support so that they can provide the children with quality ECD opportunities,” said Atmore.
Additional support for the two ECD centres was received by Breadline Africa and Africa A+.
One of the two recipients, Marlyn Dyantyi, the principal of Chioma Safehaven Daycare, who previously had a wooden structure in her backyard, was gifted a newly-built structure with two classrooms.
Thankfully, the centre has an existing toilet and will make use of the kitchen located in Dyantyi’s house.
Dyantyi said that the new building, which is in the same spot where her previous wooden structure was, is a gift made possible by God.
After establishing her centre in Maak ’n Las, Kruisfontein, in 2019, in 2020 – like many other ECD centres – her school took a dip during the COVID-19 nationwide lockdown.
“Since my centre has been a haven for many children in the community, I continued to keep my doors open, despite the setback,” said Dyantyi.
With the many challenges she faced she said that she began asking God whether she should continue taking care of the children at her centre.
Finally, she received confirmation from God to continue her good work when the new classrooms were built.
“It is not easy to get to where I am today, but I am thankful that Chioma was chosen for this project. I am also thankful for all the sponsors and for the work that the Kouga Wind Farm Community Development Trust does for many in our community. They have changed our lives,” said Dyantyi.
She said that her previous wooden structure was a major safety concern and provided very little heat for the children.
Thankfully, through the sponsorships from Kouga Wind Farm Community Development Trust, they have not only received new buildings to continue teaching, but they have also received first aid training, equipment, and further educational training.
Dyantyi currently has 20 children at the centre and receives assistance from teachers Fredylene Smit and Caroldean Domingo.
She said that they are hopeful that more children from the community will join the centre in 2024.
The second recipient, Mauricia Prince, the principal of Jeugkamp Kiddies Junction in Jeugkamp, established her centre in 2021 and since she did not have a building of her own, she has continued to make use of the church next to her house, The Voice of God Ministries.
She said that while at the church they encountered many challenges, since they had to remove all school supplies on Friday after school and then return the items again on Sunday after church.
Prince further said that they also had to make alternative arrangements when the church hosted functions.
“On many occasions we had to place the children in a specific section in the church when there were church functions and, in some cases, we had to send them home earlier than expected,” said Prince.
Despite these challenges she said that she was very thankful that the church had made their premises available for the children.
Prince said that since she did not have a building of her own, she felt like giving up many times, but thankfully with the new school which was built in her backyard recently, she has found new hope to continue taking care of the children from her community.
In addition to the two new classrooms, a small kitchen and two bathrooms were also built at her centre.
“We now have a permanent place to call our own, and we can pack out all the toys and place posters on the wall without worrying about having to remove them anytime soon. We have more space and can do so much more with the children,” said Prince.
“I am thankful to God and all the sponsors for our new classrooms. We are also thankful for the Kouga Wind Farm Community Development Trust for all they do for the many ECD centres in Kouga.”
With help of her assistant, Annie Williams, Prince said that she can take care of 11 children from her community.
“I love each child dearly, because I know them personally and I am aware of their circumstances at home,” said Prince.
Atmore said that the new building in Jeugkamp can accommodate more children and she is therefore hopeful that more community members will send their children to the centre.
She further said that accommodating more children is one of the big things they look at when building new structures for the ECD centres.
