Start a Preschool for 60 Children in South Africa

On January 11, we welcomed 65 new and returning students for the 2017 school year. We have 32 children in our 2 to 3 year old class and 33 children in our 3 to 4 year old class. The students and teachers were all happy to be back and eager to begin a new year of learning and growing. The children have been engaged in many activities, with team art projects being one of their favorites. In addition to drawing, the younger children made toy binoculars, while the three and four years old have been busy making animals out of different materials.

This year the teachers are implementing a new curriculum, with a focus on daily preparation and monthly assessments of the children’s progress in various areas. We have already begun to notice improvement in the learning of the children in just the short time we have been using this new approach.

Thanks to the volunteer time of the grandmother of one of our students, our garden is thriving, in spite of the water shortage we are experiencing due to a multiple year drought in the area. (The water shortage is one of our greatest challenges at the moment.) This year she planted spinach, tomatoes, beans, cabbages, green pepper, and onions.

We wanted to acknowledge and thank two of our teachers, Miss Nzuza and Miss Khoza, who wrapped packages at a local store during their holiday break and then donated their earnings to the Centre. The vouchers they earned help buy groceries for the Centre for January.

We wanted to introduce you to a few of our students this year and share with you the feedback we are hearing from their families.

Sandisiwe is a 3-year-old girl who lives with both her parents. She started attending Siyabonga in 2015 and has an older sister, Mabongi, who graduated from Siyabonga last December. Both girls are extremely bright and have done very well at Siyabonga. Mabongi started Grade R (kindergarten) at the local primary school this year but, after only a short time, was promoted to Grade 1. Their mother credits Siyabonga with how well her children are doing. She told us she thinks that Siyabonga is one of the best schools in the area and she can’t wait to bring her younger boy here next year.

Aphiwe, a 4-year-old girl, is staying with her maternal grandmother while her mother, a single parent, is away looking for employment. (Many people in our area have to leave to find employment due to the extremely high rate of unemployment here.) Her grandmother told us she is happy that the classes at Siyabonga are not crowded, like at many schools in the area, and that teachers have the time to give children individual attention. She is also thankful that breakfast and lunch are provided, since she knows many of the families in the area struggle to provide decent, healthy meals for their children.

Banele is a new student at Siyabonga this year. The four-year-old lives with his mother. She is employed and grateful to have a nice facility to bring him to while she is at work. Although Banele was born with a physical disability, he is a bright and engaged student who likes school and enjoys playing with toys. He is particularly fond of trucks and tries to play with them whenever it is time for indoor free play. Prior to this year, Banele attended a different centre. His mother told us that last year he would cry every morning before school and refuse to go but, since starting at Siyabonga in January, he has never complained about going to school or tried to stay home. His mother is convinced that Siyabonga is doing good work because of Banele’s reaction to attending.

Thank you again for making all of this possible and for helping the Board and the staff of Siyabonga meet the needs and concerns of the community we are serving. We look forward to continuing to do our best for the children and families in our community.  We know we couldn't do it without your support and are very grateful to you.