GC Mandela Day 2022

Olerato Daycare and Preschool is a Christian preschool that accommodates about 60 children from 1 to 6 years old. Olerato means “God is love”. It is situated in the heart of Zandspruit’s RDP housing project under the leadership of Principal Violet Masia. The school has become a much-needed support structure for parents of limited means seeking a reliable, safe place for their children to learn.

For this school to continue supporting the Zandspruit community, they require a health clearance certificate. One of the major requirements for obtaining this certificate is that the school must be painted inside and out.

For Mandela Day this year, St Stithians Girls’ College Grade 8 and 9 students collaborated with interior designer Miss Valery Ndou and members of her family, Head of Ops Mr Thando Bili and members of the College Operations Team to embark on a painting project.

The whole team really worked well together, and in 5 hours they had already finished painting the outside area, the doors and windows. The school even received toy donations from one of our student’s parents.

This is indeed what we want to see in our community engagement projects: students taking an active part in the process to make a meaningful impact in vulnerable communities.

What a wonderful way for Saints to celebrate Mandela Day!

Our thanks go to:

• Ms Masia and Olerato Daycare and Preschool for giving us the opportunity to serve;
• the Saints Community for your time and contributions;
• the Saints Operations Department for assisting us with your professional expertise and resources;
• painters Mr Mashupa Kekana and Mr Reggie Chaumba, who made it possible for us to ensure our project was professional and of high quality;
• Mrs Khumo Kekana and Mrs Thandie Mwape, Saints parents in the Community Engagement Committee;
• Yolanda from City Hardware Randburg who extended her generosity by donating paint to us to colour the spirit of Madiba;
• Saints parent Megan Pydigadu for additional donations of toys;
• Miss Valery Ndou for donating her professional expertise and for bringing her family to come and be part of our Mandela Day activity; and
• bus driver Doctor Mashe, who also contributed his time.

It really does take a village to raise a child. Let us remember: Mandela Day should be every day.

 

Grade 8 Rose Villadsen had the following reflections:

Going to the Olerato Daycare was the most amazing experience. Going to see the vastly different environment that people live in is such a surreal venture.

We learned about how the school offers a safe haven for the students in the community by providing a learning space, food and day care facilities for children from 1- 6 years old. We understood that most of their parents earn a low income. The school charges very low fees to make it affordable for the students’ families, and that’s why there are no funds to upkeep the school.

We saw first hand the difference between our environments on housing, education facilities and access to basic goods and services like shops, roads and water. All these are important Sustainable Development Goals.

Having observed all this, we also learnt from Ms Violet, that the challenges do not mean that the kids are unable to feel joy; it doesn’t mean that they don’t work hard and it doesn’t mean that these children won’t amount to great things. I think that was a key point that we all took away from the experience.

That is the reason that the Saints community should continue to use their extra resources, to help improve schools like Olerato. Because of the work we did there, the school’s entire appearance was changed and now, the leader of the Day Care (Ms Violet) can apply for a health certificate!

I am so grateful that I was a part of this experience. It meant so much more than getting a few extra hours signed on our community engagement forms. This meant helping a community grow. Nurturing an environment.

We transformed an entire school because we wanted to leave behind a better place. We want to show the world that you don’t have to go to extreme measures to help someone; something as simple as painting can change lives. We just have to bond together and we can change our community, one paint stroke at a time.