It was started in 2005, in a shack in the impoverished area of Hout Bay called Imizamu Yethu "Our Efforts". The two women who started with just a handful of children between the ages of 1 and 6 still work there today. They have since moved on to a bigger building and now cater to almost 100 children.
The children are kept stimulated with toys, games and stories. They are also given a meal and taught skills like toilet training. Volunteers help out with these activities and more, such as supervising sleep time, playing with the kids in the playground which has a jungle gym, helping out with general admin and buying food. The educare center has financial challenges from month to month with electricity and food prices rising constantly.
The staff are true angels. The educare center are always looking for new ways to stimulate the kids and toys like hula hoops, skipping ropes and learning aids are always very welcome. There are many such creches in the township, but Volunteering Cape Town has itentified this one for two reasons:
It needs a lot of work - from painting buildings to refurbishing the playground to additional teachers and equipment. (This is where volunteers will be particulary valuable).
The second is that it has immense potential to be a model for other similar creches. The passion of the teachers and staff is awe inspiring and it always rubs off on volunteers. If you want to do something meaningful for someone as well as come away inspired and fulfilled, this one's for you.
