Corporate Social Review Magazine 1st Quarter 2013 | Page 7

The Slovo Centre of Excellence
The Slovo Centre of Excellence (SCE) is a grassroots non-profit
organisation, founded by Mrs Lorraine Cockrell in February
2005 to respond to the needs of the disadvantaged community
of Slovo Park situated on the boundaries of Coronationville and
Crosby in Johannesburg, South Africa. The Slovo Park informal
settlement has approximately 7 000 residents living in shacks
and are subject to rife unemployment, thus perpetuating the
cycle of poverty. Due to this high level of unemployment, poverty
has resulted in malnutrition among children, as well as emotional
stress and poor health overall. The centre identified an urgent
need to support pre-school and after school activities in the
area, supported by a group of volunteers and a small team of
paid staff. On a normal day, the centre caters for approximately
100 -120 children, and more during school holidays.
The Slovo Centre of Excellence, through its project believes
that collaboration and synergy through partnerships is key,
as successful partnership will pave the way for a successful
project. The project has great potential for such partnerships.
SCE has existing partnerships with various stakeholders,
including:
• NPO: Trevor Huddleston Memorial Centre (THMC) through
which it has been incubated since 2010; and who shares
the same vision of reaching out to the underprivileged and
impoverished communities, where deprivation is obvious.
• University of Johannesburg, where the founder serves on

the UJ Community Engagement Advisory Board; and
• The Transnet Foundation CEO’s Office; at this point SCE’s
only CSI donor.
“Through Transnet’s funding in 2012, we were able to implement
these programmes. With funding granted for 2013, we want
to take this to another level, and have called in a professional
Service Provider, to restructure our entire After School Care
programmes, to coincide with each other,” says Lorraine
Cockrell - The Slovo Centre of Excell ence Project Director
Lorraine says the centre has identified the need to utilise its After
School Care Centre, to work on programmes that will add value
to its beneficiaries’ need to understand basic English Language
skills of reading, writing, speaking and listening. The four
programmes that will coincide are called Fun with English, Toy
Library, Play and Learn for the little toddlers and finally AWANA
Club, which is a recreational, social and spiritual programme
that will happen on a Sunday afternoon. Special training is being
undertaken by facilitators from the young adults of the Slovo
Park community, and they will facilitate these programmes after
their training, under the supervision by the Service Provider.
“We are most grateful to Transnet Soc (Pty) Limited for their
financial support of our project through their donations scheduled
from 2012 - 2014, as we comply with the development of the
beneficiaries, doing what we are doing for their benefit and
wellbeing. “The premises donated to us by Transnet Properties

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