Renovated Philippi Children's Centre opens

The new Educare Centre includes renovations to the classrooms which can accommodate 200 children aged between three months and six years, ablution facilities and the installation of a fully biological sewage treatment system which will save the crèche thousands of rands in water bills.

Helen Diedericks, Philippi Children's Centres' principal says the crèche was first opened 21 years ago and the buildings were in desperate need of a revamp. "We have been dreaming about this day for over five years now and are so blessed to finally give our children the crèche environment they so desperately need. We are so thankful to the sponsors for making our dreams come true."

Main sponsors

The renovation was made possible by three main sponsors including PenBev, The Rotary Club of Newlands and Southern Africa Sustainable Development Initiative. Other sponsors include Claytile (Pty) Ltd, Atlantic Sands, Murray & Roberts Child Welfare Fund, Helen Blakemore, other funders and volunteer groups Prince2 for Africa Foundation and Love to Langa. The building construction was completed by Granbuild.

"Education and development at an early age is very important to us and we are fortunate to be able to contribute to the renovation of the only Educare Centre servicing the farming area in Philippi," says PenBev's managing director, Stuart McLeod. "This is the 26th brick and mortar project we have sponsored and we are very proud and privileged to be involved in this project."

This initiative is PenBev's major brick and mortar project of the year and forms part of their community projects which assist in uplifting the communities in which they operate. Philippi Children's Centre provides two meals a day to the children, which is often the only meals they eat during the day, and relies on the generosity of its community for donations of food, nappies and education material.