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Inkanyezi Creche Project Update

After months of successful fundraising and hard labour by both volunteers and staff, we have made great progress towards completing a number of the stages of our Inkanyezi refurbishment project. Mama Gumede’s crèche proudly boasts a fence, gate and the beginnings of three new latrines, along with hundreds of bricks made by our volunteers.

The building project hit the ground running when 30 American university students from Louisiana State University and the University of California at Los Angeles visited the site at the end of June. The big group spent four grueling afternoons digging holes, mixing cement, making bricks and building the 40m by 50m fence which would solidify the creche’s plot. The group’s enthusiasm and hard work paid off and the entire fence was completed during their week’s stay – an unbelievable feat that would not have been accomplished otherwise.

It was then down to our regular African Impact volunteers to reinforce the fence and erect the gate, which would allow us to store materials on-site and provide the crèche with the security it had been lacking.

We have made great strides in our effort to complete toilets and a classroom block for Inkanyezi, though juggling the objectives of the volunteers, Mama Gumede and the crèche’s committee members has slowed our construction process. The delay is partly due to our inability to liaise with the area’s Induna (chief) after he has come under legal trouble.

Despite these hurdles, we have continued to visit the crèche each week, not only to work with the crèche’s children but also to make bricks. In the coming weeks we’re very excited to be working towards constructing the three latrines with those bricks, which the volunteers have slaved over during the past five months. In the meantime we will continue to spend our Fridays at Inkanyezi – teaching the children in the morning and building in the afternoons.

Stage Update

Stage 1 (COMPLETE)
A security fence was constructed mostly in June and finished in July when the gate was erected.

Stage 2 (IN PROGRESS)
Over 200 bricks have already been made for the construction of the male and female latrines at the crèche. A water tank was also provided by the local government. Holes have been dug for the toilets though construction has not yet begun.

Stage 3
The building of the classroom block for Inkanyezi awaits the finishing of the creche’s latrines, though any bricks made by volunteers that are not used during the building of the toilets will be utilized once construction of the main building begins.

Stage 4
Furniture and classroom resources will then be provided for the crèche. Resources are already being collected when they cannot be used elsewhere and saved for when the classroom at Inkanyezi is built and secure.