Singing for their supper at Sinothando creche

Christmas came early for Sinothando creche in Shaka’s Head when they received a new kitchen valued at R89 000 last Friday.

The kitchen was officially handed over by Umpheme Development, a construction company based in Durban, to Sithembile Makhaya who founded the creche seven years ago.

Makhaya said she has had many sleepless nights worrying about not having a proper kitchen to cook food for the more than 100 children, most of them coming from very poor homes.

“I have experienced too many children coming to the creche with an empty stomach, so I had take it upon myself to feed them myself.

“Since we use one of the community hall backrooms, I did not have a kitchen to prepare food. This will make our lives much easier as we will have enough space for the children and be able to cook food in a decent place,” said Makhaya.

She also thanked Sembcorp Siza water for their donation of blankets and sponges.

CEO of Umpheme Development, Mzontsundu Marareni said the donation was part of their corporate social investment and they hope a kitchen would be taken care of.

Makhaya started the creche in 2012 from her home.

“Lots of children would just arrive to visit my three-year-old child. This made me realise the need for a crèche. The children were spending a lot of time playing unsupervised, without getting any stimulation or nurturing,” said Makhaya.

The room that she is using is big enough to be divided into two rooms which she says would make it easier for her to teach the children.

“If we can have the babies in a separate room from the children, it would make it easier to take care of them,” she said.

If you wish to help the crèche with clothes, beds for the babies, carpets or food, contact Sthembile at 083 665 2242.

Do you want to receive news alerts via WhatsApp? Send us a WhatsApp message (not an sms) with your name and surname to 061 718 4438.

Please read our WhatsApp broadcast list disclaimer.
Join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram