Heart-warming rebirth: tornado-ravaged crèche stands tall once more
Durban — Since a tornado almost wiped out oThongathi, hope has been restored for the children of a crèche damaged during the ordeal.
The 40-year-old Qoqisizwe Crèche in Magwaveni township was one of several early childhood development centres severely damaged by the tornado, leaving more than 100 children without a day-care facility.
However, through the efforts of various stakeholders, Partnership with Purpose was established to provide essential relief support to the oThongathi community, without duplicating efforts. With generous contributions from various government and private-sector organisations, including agri-processing company Tongaat Hulett, Partnership with Purpose rebuilt Qoqisizwe Crèche within just two months.
Partnership with Purpose project co-ordinator Eduard Louw acknowledged the generous contributions from various government and private-sector partners.
“We take great pride in welcoming back over 115 children to the crèche, as their parents begin to rebuild their lives.
“The handover of the crèche holds significant importance for the Magwaveni community and the stakeholders who have continued to provide support and resources, particularly in an area where the majority of the devastation occurred.
“This handover ceremony symbolises hope and resilience for the families affected by this disaster,” Louw said.
Tongaat Hulett acting CEO Rob Aitken said: “As we are in this new provincial government of unity, it is important for us to come together and unite from different backgrounds and bring our skills.
“The rebuilding of Qoqisizwe Crèche highlighted the strategic collaborations between businesses, NGOs, and government departments that drove positive impact on a key societal challenge in ways that leveraged each other’s unique strengths.
“For us at Tongaat Hulett, the smiles on the faces of children and their parents said it all.”
The rebuilt crèche was handed over to founder and owner, Mandlenkosi Ntuli, 70, who caters for 115 children.
There were big smiles on the faces of the children and their parents, who could return to work safe in the knowledge that their little ones were being well cared for during the day.
Also overjoyed were the 10 employees – seven childminders, a cleaner, a cook, and a security guard – because they were without work when the crèche was being rebuilt.
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Daily News