Full Circle Digital Magazine August 2013 | Page 78

FULL

CIRCLE

COMMUNITY

•

HEARTS

TO

HANDS

Angelcare reaches out Warm hearts and smiling faces

by Athina May
A child’s education begins from the moment they peek their heads into this strange new world they find themselves in. Every experience is new to the senses and seems an exciting adventure. Their young mouldable minds are ripe for educational development. The nurturing of this curiosity is often undermined by many; the ignorance of this developing stage is therefore pivotal in determining the future learning capabilities of children at this stage. The need for the fulfilment of this role in the Masiphumelele area was realised by Mrs Cornelia Musekela who established the non-profit organisation Rainbow Early Childhood Development Centre (Rainbow ECD Centre), to prepare young minds for their future education. Masiphumelele is an area populated by more than 38000 people, living in shacks or brick houses; amenities are scarce and schools are overcrowded; the practice of early childhood development takes a back seat. Mrs Musekela’s drive to ensure the nurturing of children through her organisation reinstates the meaning of the name Masiphumelele, which means “we will succeed”, by ensuring that the young minds in the Masiphumelele area are developed, so that they become successful adults. Rainbow ECD Centre consists of 68 centres situated in Masiphumelele. The centres provide children with an educational base and a staple food diet to ensure their school readiness. The centre does not receive a subsidy or grant. Its main funds are generated through school fees paid by parents. However, parents are not always able to afford these fees, resulting in unpaid teachers and the centres not being able to comply with government registration requirements. This lack of funds disqualifies the centre from receiving government funding and feeding schemes. The organisation survives on the sponsoring of campaigns such as the Stop Hunger Campaign (MASICOR), that ensures the organisation receives a regular rice quota. Assistance is also provided through The People’s Church in Sun Valley and Constantia areas, who provide volunteers to assist with the training of teachers; the development of the site, and the education of the children. The organisation would like to appeal to anyone and everyone for any sort of assistance in the form of funding, voluntary assistance, food contributions or any kind of materials that might be useful for storage or the educating of pre-adolescent children. The organisation is also in short supply of adequate kitchen supplies at all centres and are seeking donations of gas stoves for cooking during power cuts, microwave ovens, containers to store leftover food for freezing and cleanable wall and floor tiles are needed.

Mr and Mrs Naas Vermaak with Annelize from Angelcare

“Ubuntu is the essence of being human. Ubuntu speaks particularly about the fact that you can’t exist as a human being in isolation. It speaks about our interconnectedness. You can’t be human all by yourself, and when you have this quality you are known for your generosity.” - Desmond Tutu
In 2006, a new born baby was discarded in a field with no more than a towel wrapped around its naked body for protection. A passer-by in the field found the child and delivered it to the nearest police station who, in turn, rushed the baby to a hospital where it was nurtured back to health. After 12 days, the biological mother could not be traced. On the 13th day of this innocent child’s l