The Christian Church Educare centre in Philippi recently received a makeover thanks to the Injongo Project, an initiative that upgrades educare centres in communities around Cape Town.
The initiative, run by the Rotary Club of Claremont and the Lewis Group, focuses on providing the communities of Philippi and Masiphumelele with fully functioning early childhood development (ECD) centres, to ensure a high quality of educational support for young children.
Speaking at the official opening of the refurbished school, Rotarian David Grant said investing in ECD was at the core of Rotary Claremont and the Lewis Group.
“We are here now to hand the school over and it will go from strength to strength. It is important that we put time and effort into children’s education; it is paying off,” Grant said.
Upgrades to Christian Church ECD included renovations to the kitchen, new classrooms, ablution facilities, walkways, a jungle gym area with astroturf and upgrades to the security of the centre.
The Injongo Project provides a range of holistic interventions such as extensive teacher training, the partial upgrade of existing facilities, and daily mentoring for quality assurance to support 61 centres.
To date, Rotary Claremont, with financial support from the Lewis Group, has upgraded 15 centres, presenting a total investment of R22 million. The Lewis Group has been a sponsorship partner of the Injongo Project for the past seven years.
“It is extremely important to us to focus on the communities that support us as a company; this project fits solidly within this objective,” says Les Davies, director at the Lewis Group.
“We are committed to the children and their education, because this country will not succeed without educating our children,” Davies said.