With the generous donation from P.Trimborn Agency, we began the upgrade of the Sekane creche in April 2016. We employed a local builder who used Sekane community members for all the tasks that were on hand. The Sekane is not easy to reach the destination, so naturally, we had our ups and downs, but with hard work and commitment, we had a sturdy foundation, strong walls, a roof and a kitchen completed by July. As time went on, the interest in the creche grew and we received a lot of support in the painting and kitting out of the creche. Donations of toys, stationery, and clothes came flooding in from friends of the Zululand Conservation Trust.
The Sekane Creche is the focal point of the community and the pride and enthusiasm that was shown towards the building are evident by the community members. All throughout the building and painting, we had streams of interested parents, siblings and friends popping in to lend a hand at painting, drawing and cleaning up. This has been an amazing journey for all that have been involved, and we are very happy to share it with all of you.
Many weekends of volunteered time went into splashing the walls with colour. Great support was shown from Manyoni Private Game Reserve staff and neighbours.
And the result ignites a very happy atmosphere as soon as you enter the room!
Thanks must go out to our sponsors who helped with paint; Hluhluwe Buildit who donated 50L of paint, Umhlanga College who raised money for materials and dedicated two weekends to helping paint.
And to the core group of ladies who were there from the start to the finish and created the most stunning murals; Annie Peatling, Amanda Warren and Sam Vorster – your creative flare speaks volumes! We will officially be opening the creche in October and cannot wait to celebrate the success story with our sponsors and volunteers, because without them, none of this would have been possible.
Lethiwe, is the heart of the Sekane creche. She is the committed teacher who has been with the children from the start. She lives on the hill overlooking the creche and has been watching the colour and buildings grow all through the year. She is extremely grateful for all that the Zululand Conservation Trust has done for her community. Lethiwe is currently studying a teaching diploma through SANTS higher education and has been doing extremely well with her results, we wish her all the best with her upcoming graduation in November.
Little Phumlani lies on what was the old Sekane Creche, he lives next door to the creche and has made sure that he has had a say in all the ‘big’ decisions of his creche, he is an absolute delight!