Architect rendering of new creche
After many years of planning and fundraising, Project YES Africa (PYA) will soon realize one of its longstanding goals: the rebuild of the Nokwanda Educare Centre, a crèche (or pre-school) in Khayelitsha, the fastest growing township in South Africa. The modern, two-story, eco-friendly facility is two-thirds complete and will be delivered this year! The new structure is even more impressive than we originally hoped.
This milestone, a first of its kind in the township, was not achieved without significant challenges. Over the last few years, our organization has navigated local zoning commissions, demolished the existing structure, relocated teachers and more than 50 students, faced significant cost increases due to supply chain disruptions — and let’s not leave out the construction delays caused by the global pandemic! Pure passion and commitment helped us persevere, and we are elated to be entering into the final fundraising and building phases.
As we look back and take stock of this incredible journey, we at PYA took the opportunity to revisit our original goals which are so central to our mission that we made it the acronym in our name. “Youth Empowerment Services” (or “YES”), speaks to our intention to make an impact where possible in the lives of the children we serve and empower them to change their own lives.
Through the construction of the crèche, we at PYA believe that we are helping to chip away at the impact of poverty in Khayelitsha. With 33.9%* unemployment across the country, the township needs solutions like ours that bolster the entire community and empower its residents to help themselves.
Local women employed on site fill sandbags
Local worker learns to navigate the Eco beam
Working through our design/build partner, UBU, PYA facilitated the training and employment of local residents to build the crèche — keeping the income in the community. In addition to employing both men and women for the manual labor, critical in-demand trade skills such as electrical and plumbing are also taught on the build site. We’ve come to understand that the phrase “teach a man to fish…” has real meaning for the people we serve.
When the crèche is complete, even more children will receive the important foundational learning that lasts a lifetime, and they’ll find safe harbor there when their parents are at work. The facility also doubles as a community center of sorts on nights and weekends. In this place where a little achieves so much, the reverberating impact of the crèche on the community will have no limits.
Look for future updates as we complete the build and dedicate the new structure. We’ll share insights about its unique features and the perspectives of those who brought it to light.
In closing, I must acknowledge that our work is not yet done. We need to raise the remaining $15,000 (USD) to complete this vital project. To that end, our GoFundMe giving campaign has been established at https://gofund.me/27d06395. We’re appreciative of your support of our mission and to have you accompany us on this incredible journey. Your support will make a significant difference in the lives of many children.
Beverly Crockett
Project YES Africa Board Chair
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* as of 2nd Quarter 2022 – Source: South Africa’s Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) – August 23, 2022
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