Umzamo Day Care Centre
Preschool and Creche

CURRENT DURBAN PROJECT

Feed the Babies introduced Chic Mamas to Umzamo Day Care Centre in 2015. They considered it deserving of assistance and offered us the opportunity to make a difference.

We were taken to a dilapidated wood and iron shack that flooded with every rain, had little ventilation, and had been rebuilt once due to a fire that blazed through the informal settlement. There we met the amazing Nomusa Dlungwana who single-handedly cared for up to 20 children, 6 days per week, aged from 3mths to 6yrs. Whilst the children were being safely baby sat, there was no awareness of the need for developmental stimulation, and under those trying circumstances it simply wasn’t possible.

Fast forward to 2020, and Umzamo is now a fully functional preschool and crèche. It is positioned on a spacious site on the edge of the informal settlement. Safely fenced, it consists of three classroom structures, 2 play areas, a water-harvesting system and ablutions. Nomusa has employed 2 full time assistants from the community to help her care for the 54 joyful little learners.
Nomusa has completed three years of accredited ECD training to achieve her National ECD Diploma and assistant teacher, Thalente Dlungwana, is currently in her second year of the same course.
We watch in amazement as this school continues to thrive and give hope to their community.

House of Hope Preschool and Creche

CURRENT DURBAN PROJECT

The supervisor of House of Hope, Maureen Dlamini, approached Chic Mamas in early 2016 for assistance. She was caring for 35 children in a 4m x 5m room in her home and requested help with larger premises. After a period of assessing Maureen and considering options available for a better facility, the community committee and ward councilor offered Maureen a plot of level land for a preschool installation.
After many challenges, the new House of Hope preschool opened in November 2017. It is fully fenced, for security and safety and Chic Mamas installed a large 12m converted container classroom and water harvesting system. The beautiful playground equipment was sponsored by SA HOME LOANS and waterless ablutions were sponsored by Envir-Loo. Awnings and shade covers have subsequently been added to House of Hope.
The school is located near a very disadvantaged informal settlement with high unemployment. It is a fair distance from Maureen’s previous ‘school’ so many parents were unable to afford to taxi their children to the new school. Pupil enrolment is limited by fee affordability and a lack of understanding in the new community, of the crucial importance of early childhood development. Maureen has completed the first module of her ECD diploma which will equip her to input and assist her pupils to be school ready. She has employed an assistant who has completed her ECD diploma.
This is a challenging project but the potential for change is huge and we are ever- hopeful for major breakthrough.

Zamokuhle Preschool and Creche

CURRENT DURBAN PROJECT

After appealing to Durban Chic Mamas for help, Zethu Mbali waited patiently for two years until, in January 2019, we were able to meet with her. There was an immediate connection with Zethu and we knew this was a situation where we wanted to get involved.  Zethu’s humility, and dedication to helping the children of her community since 2003, won us over. The school used the small corrugated iron “community hall” on weekdays and had to pack everything away over weekends for functions.  With no safe play area, and only communal ablutions some distance away, this was far from ideal.

From day one, this project rolled out with  favour at every turn.

By mid July 2019, within a month of the land being levelled, the new Zamokuhle preschool was installed and operational. Grants from MySchool Card, LUSH SA and CMH, together with Chic Mamas funding, has produced a vibrant preschool consisting of one 12m and one 6m converted container classroom, waterless ablutions, a playground with amazing equipment and astroturf, a water harvesting system,  and all safely fenced.

Within a month, pupil enrolment increased from 18 to 34 and continues to grow. Due to the numbers, the baby crèche has remained in the community hall and all other preschoolers are in the new preschool.

Zethu has employed three assistants. One has completed her Educare Training, one has begun training through the council and Zethu began her first year at Caversham Education Institute in Feb 2020. We watch in awe as this journey unfolds.

Teacher Training
Caversham Education Institute

CURRENT DURBAN PROJECT

There are several ex preschool teachers on the Durban team and a core group regularly visit the schools to give encouragement, direction and to pick up on any areas of need.

Unless teachers are adequately equipped, they are unable provide their preschoolers with the vital stimulation and early development children need for school readiness. We believe that our best means of impacting the greatest number of preschoolers, is through properly trained teachers.

For this reason, we prioritise sponsorship of training for the teachers at the schools we install.

This training is in the form of the three year accredited National Diploma in ECD through Caversham Education Institute, and through ongoing training courses offered by CCRC (Communities, Children and Responsible Care)

One of our objectives is for our school supervisors to become empowered to function independently of Chic Mamas. Post installation, we walk alongside the schools for a limited period, assisting where necessary and guiding them in areas where skills or knowledge is lacking. This covers NPO regulations and returns, PBO registration, SARS requirements, compulsory DSD registrations, grant applications, budgeting and fundraising.  Fortunately we have been able to access pro bono assistance in many areas. Once the above requirements have been worked through, our team gradually withdraws and the the supervisors are expected to follow through on their own.