● Donation drive to collect clothing, books, toys and food items for KidCave Academy
This article appeared in The Herald (South Africa) on 22 August 2024
By Roslyn Baatjies
PAYING IT FORWARD: A group of NMU students are partnering with Bay businesses to collect donations for KidCave Academy in Schauderville
The six fourth-year Nelson Mandela University (NMU) intermediate phase education students rallied together to use an important service-learning assignment to empower the academy in Schauderville.
Group member Fatima Allen said they opted to support KidCave Academy, which experienced a robbery a few months ago.
“In response, we have organised a donation drive to collect clothing, books, toys and non-perishable food items to help the academy recover and continue its vital work in the community.”
She said global digital business services company Teleperformance had since contributed to the donation drive this week but more assistance was still needed.
“While we are grateful for the support so far, we are urgently pleading for more assistance from other businesses and community members.
“Our goal is to conduct a larger donation drop-off by the end of the month.”
Allen said KidCave Academy is situated on the premises of St Michael’s Anglican
Church in Jameson Road in Schauderville and provides a nurturing environment for children aged up to five years, acting as a feeder daycare to the primary schools within the community.
“The main entrance onto the premises from Jameson Road is also the exit, so it only has one entrance and exit point.
“The daycare has neighbouring residential houses on either side of its location. However, behind the premises is a large bushy area that the criminals use to gain entrance onto the premises as there is no fencing.”
She said the group collectively decided on KidCave Academy as the recipient for their community outreach project as part of their Community Practice module.
“When the survey was conducted with the principal of KidCave Academy, common issues that were highlighted were that of burglaries, vandalism, inadequate learning materials, lack of nutritional supplies [school feeding], no playground/area, and lack of security measures just to name a few.
“It is a startup daycare facing challenges such as theft, impacting their ability to provide essential services to children in the community.
“Despite the numerous challenges the daycare faces regularly, the academy still aims to establish an ECD centre that will cater to the cognitive, emotional, physical, and nutritional needs of children, ensuring their holistic development,” Allen said.
KidCave principal Aaliyah Dolley said the academy played a vital role in the community by providing a nurturing environment for 30 children.
“It is a deliberate effort to make quality early childhood education accessible to families in Schauderville.
“However, this financial constraint poses a significant challenge when it comes to ensuring adequate nutrition for our young pupils.
“A reliable source of nutritious meals is crucial for their physical and cognitive development. Unfortunately, our limited resources make it difficult to provide a well-rounded and balanced diet for all our students.”
She said the generous donations collected through the NMU students’ efforts would go a long way in ensuring that each child at KidCave Academy receives the nourishment they need to thrive.