Start a Preschool for 60 Children in South Africa

Siyabonga opened for the school year on January 15, 2020. It was a happy day particularly for the returning children, as well as the children coming to the Centre for the first time. This year we have 91 children enrolled. Things had been going very well for the first couple of months. The children were all adapting to school and the teachers were all implementing our established program on a daily basis.

Like schools throughout South Africa and in many countries, our first quarter ended abruptly when the President of South Africa called for all schools, pre-school to university, to close on March 18. Although the number of cases of Covid-19 that have been reported in South Africa is lower than in many countries, many here are more vulnerable because of their living situation and the state of their health.  The following week, the President declared the pandemic a national disaster and ordered a strict lockdown to begin on March 26.  Just last night the lockdown was extended for the second time and will remain in effect until the number of new cases has peaked.

Most of the children who attend Siyabonga live in families that struggle to put food on the table and depend on their children receiving healthy meals at the Centre. Many people in our community are either informally employed or unemployed and don’t have the means to stock up on food or buy other necessities during the lockdown. We brainstormed ways we could help and were initially exploring food distribution. Then we learned that the Department of Social development and other organizations in the area are giving food parcels to the communities.

Due to the water crisis that our community experiences and the critical need for everyone to wash their hands regularly, we thought it would be helpful to supply water and soap to our families and others in the community. Thanks to the generosity of those of you who gave during our recent campaign, we were able to buy 240 bars of soaps and to purchase water to fill the four 5,000 litter tanks we have here at Siyabonga. We delivered the soap to people in their homes and then allowed them to come to fetch water here at Siyabonga. Staff has been supervising the people coming to get water to ensure social distance is observed.

As the lockdown continues, we will continue to look for ways we can help the families we serve. We are now exploring whether it is feasible to still provide meals for children as the Centre.

I am very grateful to those that gave during the recent campaign. Your donations allowed us to provide some assistance during this difficult time.  I am also deeply appreciative to all of you who donate throughout the year. We would not be able to do what we do without you.

I hope you and your families are all healthy and staying safe.

Thank you again for all of your support.

Khethiwe