Picture: MATTHEW FIELD
Sherylene Minter, who runs uThixo uLungile Ministries crèche in Stoney Drift, is asking for donations to help the crèche serve the community.
“At this moment, our funds are way down and will be down until April next year,” she told the GO! & Express last week.
Minter, who has been with the crèche for the last four years, said their primary function is working with young children in the area.
“From newborn up until about 5 or 6 years old, when they’re supposed to go into grade 1.
“But they don’t all go so we can go up to 8 years old,” she said.
The crèche also runs a soup kitchen which serves members of the community of all ages. Minter estimated that on some days, they can feed up to 150 to 200 people.
The Covid-19 pandemic has hit the crèche hard financially, with many of their regular donors having to cut back.
“We used to get finance from Germany, the US and Australia but that’s gone way down,” said Minter.
She said that the crèche had big plans for the future once the situation improves. There are plans in place to build a soccer field for both the crèche and the local community, and later this month Minter said she will hosting a party at her house for the children.
Klaus Rodeman, founder of the NGO It’s All About Image (IAAI), has also been working close with the crèche since 2019.
In addition to funding the paving of the crèche’s play area, Rodeman said IAAI also used to arrange trips to the Guild Theatre for the older children but this had to be put on hold due to lockdown.
Minter said that donations of food were urgently needed since this accounted for a large portion of the crèche’s daily expenses.
However, she asked that anyone looking to donate arrange with her beforehand so that a pick up or drop-off point can be arranged.
Anyone looking to donate can contact the crèche over WhatsApp at 082-224-0400 / 081-500-2111.
