Dear Friends of Golden Sunbeams
This has often happened to us: we repair or improve something in one of our kindergartens and in doing so we discover completely new “construction sites” .or we want to make them much more beautiful!
When the big fire in June burned part of the Helderberg Nature Reserve and the subsequent heavy rain became a real challenge for many house roofs in the townships, we decided to completely replace the complicated roof at EmfundiSweni after 20 years (we reported in our newsletter #40 in June).
As a result, the electrical wiring, the lighting and the interior ceilings, the insulation and the gutters were also renewed – all these things are almost mandatory for a roof renovation.
While we were there, we took a closer look at the interior and exterior areas and identified further need for action. Due to the installation of the new roof, the house was in dire need of a coat of paint, both inside and out.
… and also in the interior:
In addition, we decided to surprise Nomalizo with a new kitchen after 20 years! That wouldn’t have made sense before, because the roof leaked badly in the kitchen.
Said and done! First, all the old furniture had to be removed and then the old tiles removed. New tiles were laid and then the carpenter took measurements. The new kitchen, which offers plenty of additional storage space, was planned and installed.
Before: This is how Nomalizo used to cook before the renovation.
After: And this is how the new kitchen looks now after completion.
During our construction phase, the school continued to operate with the exception of the winter holidays. We used this period to create little breaks with the children from time to time.
As a reminder, EmfundiSweni’s garden became famous in the Cape region when it was awarded ‘Best Vegetable Garden in a Township in South Africa’ by the government in 2014. Healthy food is grown there, which makes an important contribution to a balanced diet, not only for the children of the kindergarten but also for the members of the community.
To make watering the vegetable garden more effective and effortless, as part of our current renovation and improvement work, we have relocated one of the four large water tanks and connected it directly to the new gutters and their piping.
So the new kitchen with its future options and the extension of the irrigation system to optimize the harvest results, fit together well.
We managed to surprise – Nomalizo was over the moon that all her worries were resolved in such a short time and her wildest dreams were realised so quickly. She now has lots of great ideas on how to best use the garden and the new kitchen together with the children.
A very big thank you from Nomalizo, all children of EmfundiSweni and us to all sponsors. You all, once again, made sure that we could finance an important project – in this case, newly renovated kindergarten of EmfundiSweni.
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!
We send you warm greetings from Cape Town, which is already looking spring-like
Britta & Bernd