PROVIDING love, care and support to a young child is one way of ensuring that they reach their full potential and their future is hassle-free and bright.

Non-profit organisation, The Seed Fund, takes care of 54 school-going children in Malacca Road through various donors who sponsor towards their School Buddy and Budding Star sponsorship programmes. The NPO is calling on the local community to join in and make the basic need of education possible for these children.

Founder of the non-profit organsation, Arianne Hayes-Hill, said the learners who benefit from the initiative are from Grade R up to matric.

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“The cost is R300 per month or R3600 per annum. Each sponsor is allocated a child and will receive an update on their child together with a school report and photograph twice a year. They are able to monitor their sponsored child’s progress, and where possible we like to encourage sponsors to meet their child or communicate with them via our organisation email address,” said Hayes-Hill.

The Seed Fund also has an early childhood development (ECD) centre in Malacca Informal Settlement where children from ages two to five years old attend.

The center has three qualified teachers and a teacher’s assistant who teach the 36 children through a recognised ECD curriculum. This year 14 new children joined the ECD in the two to three years and the three to four years classes, and are all in need of sponsorship.

“The children receive two meals and a snack during their school day, provided by our cook in the food kitchen. The sponsorship helps to partly subsidise the school fees – parents still need to contribute something albeit small – and the remainder to assist with daily food costs. The cost here is also R300 per month or R3600 per annum. A child is allocated to each sponsor and will receive an update on their sponsored child twice a year,” she added.

“These children deserve to be registered at a local school to get the education they deserve. Many parents cannot afford school fees, school uniforms, shoes and stationery for their children, let alone providing safe transport to schools. The monthly taxi cost is between R400 to 450 per month depending on the school they attend. We assist them with these costs by providing the child with everything they need to attend school with dignity – in a uniform with shoes and the necessary stationery, and to get to school safely rather than walking,” said Hayes-Hill.

Contact Hayes-Hill on 083 440 3126 or email [email protected] to sponsor a child or to volunteer.
Cash donations can be made to The Seed Fund, Standard Bank, 051398907.

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