saam education
MAKE EDUCATION POSSIBLE
schools
TOGETHER WE MAKE EDUCATION POSSIBLE
Our partner schools are located in Dunoon, a township in Cape Town. Due to the poor social and economic situation, there is an urgent need for educational facilities for children.
Get to know our two partnerschools Pitter Patter Educare and Zama Educare here!
I am Chantel and I have lived in Dunoon since I was 18 years old. In 2016 I founded Pitter Patter Educare. With Pitter Patter, I want to avoid children being on the streets and having to grow up the same way I did back then. However, I quickly realized that these children need much more than just a safe place to stay. I completed a pedagogical training to teach the children and to be a surrogate mom to them.
My purpose is to have a lasting positive impact on the children’s life. I am in constant exchange with the parents to stay updated about their troubles and life situation as well. I also desire to have a positive impact on the Dunoon community.I have made this my mission in life.
Dies habe ich mir zu meiner Lebensaufgabe gemacht.
Pitter Patter provides a home for children during the day and takes them from the streets of Dunoon. Currently, more than 50 children are attending the school.
The rooms are way too small for this number of children and the parents have difficulties to pay the school fees of 500 ZAR per month (about 35 CHF).
With the school fees the food, the learning materials and the salaries of the teachers should be paid.
I am Thulani and I opened Zama Educare in January 2011 with only one child. At that time, I was only using my own room. Over time, I took care of more than 25 children, and the Office of Social Development asked me to enroll and complete trainings. I decided to go back to school and learn more about early childhood development. I completed my courses at the College of Cape Town up to level 5. The reason why I decided to take care of these little angels is because of the way I grew up myself. I don’t want these children to have to experience a difficult childhood.
Currently I have 4 teachers, 1 cook and 50 children coming to my school every day. Until today I do not receive any financial support and I survive with the help of other colleagues or Educare Centers.
I am willing to take any risk as long as it means I can help them.
My main concern is that I don’t have enough classrooms for all the children. Different age groups from infants to 6 year old children are taken care of in our center.
We take care of all age groups in one classroom. I used to cook breakfast and lunch for the children, but since the pandemic, I lack the financial resources.
Also, parents have difficulty paying the school fees because many have lost their jobs. Meaning, the children have to come to school hungry, thus, can’t concentrate and fall asleep