Watching school children walking along the busy dirt road that winds through the sugarcane towards Rain Farm made Melissa Bechard wonder where their school was.
“I am always amazed by these children walking to school in all weather conditions, wearing their uniforms with pride and showing initiative to get an education,” said Bechard, who runs Paradise Makeover and gave the Ballito Baby Clinic a makeover in 2012.
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She followed them to Osizweni Primary School one day and was heartbroken by what she found.
“The classrooms have broken windows, the floors need tiling, the driveway is just a mud slide, fire hydrants have expired, some of the Jojo tanks leak and the kitchen’s only fridge is broken.” The most shocking part however was the bathrooms.
“There are no sanitary bins in the girls bathrooms, no taps to wash their hands and it smells horrific. There is no plumbing either.”
Determined to help, Bechard has launched a makeover project for the school.
“I am asking companies, churches, individuals – everyone really to come together and help give this school the dignity it deserves.
“They need everything from painting and tiling in the classrooms, putting in curtains, fixing the windows to getting some plumbing installed. I want people to ask themselves if they would send their children to this school, if not, what can they do to make it better?”
She has divided the sections of the school that need work into 18 categories, so you can choose to focus on one category or just donate to the project in general.
Paradise Dreams has already decided to makeover the office for the school and will donate R20 000 towards the revamp.
To get involved, contact Paradise Makeover at 071 889 3114 or send a mail to paradisemakeover@gmail.com.
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