New hope with a fresh coat of paint

Joint Aid Management South Africa and the South African Post Office gave Batloutsi Day Care Centre in Diepsloot new hope with a new coat of paint.

Angela Abrahams, senior manager for corporate citizenship at the South African Post Office encouraged employees to help renovate Batloutsi Day Care Centre.

“Once this upgrade is complete, the crèche will be easily recognisable and likely to qualify to get a grant from the Department of Social Development,” said Abrahams. The makeover on 3 and 4 August saw employees of the two entities smiling as they painted away. What was once a drab place for children to go to during the day suddenly became a bright and colourful learning environment.

The teams arrived with goody bags, lunch, delicious dessert and balloons. Defny Moshokoa, founder and principal of the crèche, said the children were very excited.

Abrahams said, “We can all dig deep and do more. We are not just painting today, we are creating an enabling environment for sustainable development. When the principal gets her grant, she will be able to go for further training and move forward in transforming her and the children’s lives.”

JAM SA managing director David Brown said 23 per cent of pre-school children have inadequate nutrition and 26 per cent of pre-school children are stunted. This all adds up to poor brain development.

“Part of our premise as an organisation is to give children a better future. They deserve a better future. We start with nutrition, and then we look at where the children are located, which isn’t always safe or clean.”

Brown said the makeovers were done to create environments that are safe, healthy and more conducive to learning. Moshokoa explained that she started the crèche out of her love for children in 2012. Her dream is to see her school registered.

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