THELELULWAZI CRECHE GRADUATION PARTY
On Monday, November 15th, the Wild Tomorrow Fund team was honoured to attend the farewell party for the children graduating from Thelelulwazi Creche. Greg and Tori from Wild Tomorrow Fund were amongst the children, mothers, teachers, and indunas of the area celebrating the 9 children who will start primary school next year. Read more below about this special graduation party and Wild Tomorrow Fund’s ongoing community support program.
The 2021 graduates from Thelelulwazi Creche! Photo by John O’Sullivan.
A few weeks prior to the graduation party, the principal at the creche approached Wild Tomorrow Fund during one of our monthly visits with food parcel donations and asked for assistance in providing a rental tent and chairs for the “farewell party”, as well as buying stewing beef for lunch. For R2500 (about $170), our donation to the creche helped to put on quite the party!
The emcee, Sandile Nxumalo, led the event beautifully and even translated from isiZulu to English for us non-Zulu speakers! After the kids entered wearing their adorable graduation caps and gowns and got seated at the table, the mamas led us in a prayer. The principal S. Mbasane welcomed all the guests and thanked everyone for their attendance. Speeches were made by teachers, a member of the Department of Social Development, our Project Manager Tori Gray, committee members, mothers, and the indunas.
Being seated at the head table together with the indunas, among the most highly respected individuals in the Zulu culture, was indicative of the respect the community has for Wild Tomorrow Fund’s ongoing support. The Wild Tomorrow Fund team were blown away by the gratitude from the teachers, parents, and indunas…. who each gave speeches and made sure to thank Wild Tomorrow Fund for the ongoing support provided.
“The indunas were grateful for everything we do for the creche and within the community. It is humbling to realise that what we do is so appreciated by the community. It gives a feeling of pride to be a part of this team, that we are able to uplift individuals and provide the possibility of a better future for these children.””
Some of the children of the creche having fun with the camera man at the graduation party. Photo by John O’Sullivan.
For one induna in attendance in particular, Induna Sangweni, he shared that he didn’t have the opportunity to start school until the age of 14 and how extraordinary it is for these kids to have the ability to attend school from so young. His hope is that these kids will continue with their education. A celebration such as this is sure to leave a lasting memory in these kids’ minds.
After all the speeches and ceremonial matters were finished, a big traditional lunch was held. A large plate of rice, butternut, beetroot, fried chicken, and beef stew was given to each of the attendees – followed by a VERY large cake! Post lunch was filled with fun and dancing! It’s sure to be a farewell party these kids will remember!
Thelelulwazi Creche holds a special place in Wild Tomorrow Fund’s hearts as it is a school that we built from the ground up back in 2019. It was established in 2013 and previously hosted in a small church building that could barely hold the 32 students, 2 teachers and 2 teacher aides. The new and improved Thelelulwazi Creche, completed in August 2019, includes the large classroom, enviroloo ablution block and perimeter fencing. You can read more about the building of the creche here.
The original Thelelulwazi Creche, est 2013.
The new and improved Thelelulwazi Creche, est 2019.
Since the construction, we have supported the Thelelulwazi Creche (as well as the Silethukukhanya Creche) with monthly food parcels for school lunches, teacher stipends, face masks/hand sanitizer during the COVID-19 pandemic (as well as food parcels while school was not in session), school supplies and more.
To further develop and enable the Thelelulwazi Creche to qualify for financial support from the Department of Social Development (DSD), a kitchen facility must be constructed. According to the DSD guidelines regarding meal provision, they state “where food is prepared on the premises, there must be an area for preparation, cooking and washing up”. By constructing the added kitchen facility, it will improve the overall health of the children as well as secure the longevity of the creche’s operation by qualifying for government funding. If you’d like to donate towards our community program and the building of this kitchen, you can do so by clicking the button below.
If you’d like to find out more information about the kitchen and how to get involved, please email Tori at tori@wildtomorrowfund.org