Children of the Red Hill informal settlement, near Simon’s Town, now have access to a brand new Early Childhood Development facility, thanks to a donation by an American Foundation.
The brand-new open-air timber deck was funded by the Biedenharn Foundation, and facilitated via Micato Safaris and its NPO arm, AmericaShare.
General manager of Micato Safaris in Southern Africa, Chris Owen-Collett, says they saw the potential in Red Hill as an under-serviced community, and in consultation with the community stakeholders, have facilitated the investment and development of places for safe learning.
They’ve been working and investing in Red Hill since May 2019 when they opened a library, computer and community centre for the benefit of the community.
Since the launch of the centre, it has become the heart of the community. We saw the younger children at the library being normal boisterous youngsters, whilst the school-going children and the adults wanted a more ‘traditional’ library which provides a quiet space to concentrate on homework, reading, job and grant applications. So, a dedicated early childhood development space was the next step in the evolution of the project.
Apart from the infrastructure development the donation enables the employment of two dedicated staff members as well as furniture, equipment and art supplies and educational toys.
Fran Gebhardt, spokesperson for AmericaShare explains that the 75m² under-roof structure will help to address the challenges faced by the community.
Red Hill is perched on a steep hillside and affords spectacular views over the Cape of Good Hope. This is the one extreme; the other is the day-to-day hardships of poverty and lack of access to basic services. This wonderful space offers the children a great place for educational activities, not to forget the inspiration of the amazing view which we fondly call ‘Umbono Wempumelelo’ – ‘A View to Success’.
The official opening was attended by Ross Walker, President of the Biedenharn Foundation, who was moved by the early childhood development needs in the community, when he visited the Micato-AmericaShare Centre in May 2021.
