Vredefort Youth Solutions (VYS) made a difference in the lives of several children in the Vredefort community when they painted three creches on Mandela Day, 18 July.
As a non-profit organisation (NPO), VYS was formed and established in Vredefort on 10 June 2010 to support the local community by assisting disadvantaged young people to develop certain skills.
They aim to address the backlog in skills development and illiteracy within the community by providing accredited qualifica- tions, in partnership with institutions of higher learning.
VYS, situated within the Vredefort Dome vicinity, also support creches that are poorly constructed, made out of corrugated iron, wood or mud.
The structures range from mud huts to broken down homesteads. These buildings have poor or inappropriate ventilation, broken windows, leaking roofs, weak founda- tions and a lack of proper sanitation. In some instances, caregivers have converted their shacks into crèches to assist the community in caring for these children.
Funding received from the Department of Social Development only covers the meals and day-to-day running of these crèches, says the organisation.
For this reason, the decision was made to paint the Ntlhalifise Day Care Centre, Polokeho Day Care Centre and Reahola Day Care Centre.
This was made possible with support from the Fezile Dabi District Municipality, the Fezile Dabi Office of the Speaker’s Secretary Mr Mokoni Rantsaile, councillors from Ngwathe Municipality who participated in the programme, the Independent Electoral Commission and members and volunteers of VYS, who worked hard to make the project a success.
A lot still needs to be done. Therefore, all locally based private companies, the mining sector, small businesses, municipalities and the provincial government are asked to extend their assistance in ensuring that early child development becomes a priority, particularly within the policies of their respective welfare divisions.
Anyone who can contribute to similar projects in Vredefort can contact Vredefort Youth Solution on 083 245 9411 (Thabo Sothoane) or 073 009 7348 (Charles Godola)
