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Ubuhle Care and Development Centre

Topical projects, seeking for funding

 

The Ubuhle Care and Development Centre (UCDC) in Vlakfontein, Bronkhorstspruit, Metsweding area, Gauteng province, South Africa

 

UCDC offers 200 black families living in the rural area on white farmer's property, social care, a kindergarden, an english primary school up to level 3, after-school care, healthy meals, workshops and courses for adults, as well as some aid to develop new income sources. UCDC was founded in 2008 by local women and men (black and white), who are all working on a voluntary basis, even though most black employees do not have any other income.

>> The initiative comes from the base.
 

 

Naledi Projects helps UCDC to renovate and extend the current buildings (provided to use for free), to pay for the running costs for salaries, material and food for during 3 years and to establish new income sources. This provides UCDC with the chance to become self-sufficient and carry on its work on without the help from abroad and take care of 500 families.

>>Naledi Projects provides with aid to self-help.
 

 

 

 

At first sight the project might resemble a combination of a "Maison de Relais" with an adult education centre as we know them in Luxembourg. Is this really necessary? It would not, if the situation of the children would be a different one. The reality is described in the following randomly chosen accounts, that are examples of situations that children and families taken care of by UCDC are living in. These accounts explain the life of these children without the support of UCDC, how UCDC helps them in practice and how the life of these children and their perspectives for the future have been improved.

>> UCDC is the children's harbour breaking the vicious circle of poverty.
 

 

The project helps in the first place the children. What is the additional benefit?

UCDC creates 23 jobs and trains adults. Metsweding is located close to the main cities, Pretoria and Witbank, and only 20km away from Bronkhorstspruit Town where some jobs are located for people from the rural area with some education. Thanks to UCDC, some adults already found new jobs; so UCDC is the stepping stone for the uneducated population living in rural areas.
UCDC brings social help to the rural area and provides the people with the chance to live there and work in town. The alternative would be the escape to the overcrowded townships which are in catastrophical conditions.

UCDC builds links between people of different ethnical and social origins. The wealthier people from the community come and visit the centre and work there on a voluntary basis. They meet the employees and the children and once they get to know each other, the social and ethnic walls disappear.

>>Development cooperation in South Africa contributes to remove barriers of the past, the fear, the lack of knowledge and helps to reduce social gaps.
 

Some numbers and practical information:

The families are living in a perimeter of ca. 20 km. The elder children got bicycles in order to travel between UCDC and their homes over the fields. The younger children and those living further away are picked-up by UCDC with a minivan.

The total project costs are EUR 216.788,85 in the first year, including the renovation and extension of the buildings, EUR 96.687,41 in the second year and EUR 92.559,48 in the third year. Naledi Projects has handed in the project to the Ministry for Cooperation asking for a cofinancing who accepted in August 2011. Naledi Projects needs EUR 67.672,62 for own contribution.
 

 

The project

Project locationBeneficiary: social aid to 500 black families living in the rural area on white farmer's property, a preschool for 40 children, an English primary school up to level 3 for 80 children, after-school care for 100 children, healthy meals for all; courses, workshops and income generation help for all parents, as well as building up of a craft- and catering business for up to 10 workers.

Aim of the project: After the project, UCDC is soustainably reinforced. Renovation and extension of buildings, financing a part of the running costs for salaries, materials and food for 3 years and by that, giving UCDC the possibility to create income sources.

Duration of the project: 3 years

Local project partner: Ubuhle Care and Development Centre (UCDC)

Costs of the project: 406.035,74 €

  • contribution from Naledi Projects: 67.672,62 €
  • contribution from UCDC: 67.672,62 €
  • cofinancing from the MAE: 270.690,49 €
You want to support UCDC

Download the form to sponsor a project in PDF or MS Word format and post it back to Naledi Projects.

Contact:

Naledi Projects
Claudine Klein, Tel. + 352 / 621 365 908, claudine.klein@naledi-projects.org
info@naledi-projects.org

Course of the project:

  • March 2012: The support from Luxembourg motivated a lot of local sponsors to invest in UCDC:
    - The local company BMI planted grass in a part of the schoolyard in order to make it usable during the rainperiods.
    - Transporting 56 kids every day through dust roads was simply too much for the minibus and he had one breakdown after the other. Kuw from germany, a sponsoring action in USA, the support of the local company 4PL an a very smart start-up idea did allow UCDC to buy a new schoolbus and to make out of the driver an independant entrepreneur.
  • Automn harvest: the garden is coming along nicely.
  • March 13 2012: official opening of the new school building, that - thanks to your donations - could be financed by Naledi Projects and the Luxembourg Ministry for Foreign Affaires - Direction for Cooperation.
    Melanie Prinsloo, Thoko Ntuli, Claudine Klein, Dany Lamesch und Cynthia Wald cut the ribbon.
    Claudine Klein gives a symbolic fundraising T-shirt to the new chairman of UCDC Thys Louwrens telling him "In 2010 in Luxembourg, we did collect a lot of money for these kids - now it´s your go!"
  • Newsletter 14 (february 2012)
  • 30 January 2012: As with all projects, unforeseen things happen like termites or unforeseen works. The MFA agreed to spending some of the money saved on other activities and from the budget for unforeseen costs to cover the costs. More pictures from the school.
  • 22 January 2012: Paving started, dining hall and the new class rooms.
  • 18 January 2012: First day of school.
  • 16 January 2012: Preparing the start of the school year.
  • 15 January 2012: Renovation of the old buildings.
  • Newsletter 13 (december 2011)
  • December 2011: The ceilings are in and being painted. Lights are installed and working.
  • A truckload of sand from the farm was delivered to the school to fill in the square in front of the school. The afterschooler are helping with that since they finished at school already. The afterschool are also helping with the fetching and carrying for the builders to speed things up. The foundation for the water tank has also been built.
  • November 2011: The Ubuhle school is registered with the Department of Education as an independent school. Certificate.
  • November 2011: The construction goes forward. It is planned to start the next schoolyear January 2012 in new or renovated, equiped buildings secured by a fence.




  • Newsletter 12 (october 2011)
  • October 25th 2011: We are sad to report that the Building Foreman – Dawid who has worked for Piet at Coalition for 24 years, was killed in a car accident this morning on his way to our project.
  • October 2011: Construction work continues
  • September 28, 2011: Heritage day at UCDC
  • September 2011: Start of the construction works




  • 22 Août 2011: The Luxembourg Government (MFA) accepts to co-finance 2/3 of the total amount.
  • Newsletter 11 (july 2011)
  • Newsletter 10 (april 2011)
  • Spring 2011: Naledi Projects submits the project cofinanncing request to the Ministry of Foreign Affaires, Development Cooperation Service.
  • Fevrier 2011: Official start of the cofinanced project
  • Newsletter 9 (january 2011)
  • January 2011: With beginning of the South Africain school year, UCDC opens its first primary school classes. While waiting for the funds for the necessary building works, the kindergarden mooves from the existing building to a provisionally wooden wind- and sun protection.
  • Newsletter 8 (july-december 2010)
  • September 2010: Visit of the project by Naledi Projects and preparation of the cofinancing request
  • Summer 2010: Football Worldcup Charity Party - Naledi Projects start raising funds for the project.
  • Newsletter 7 (april-june 2010)
  • Newsletter 6 (march 2010)
  • Newsletter 5 (december 2009)
  • November 2009: UCDC asks for help, visit of the project by Naledi Projects<
  • Newsletter 4 (august-september 2009)
  • Newsletter 3 (april-mai 2009)
  • Newsletter 2 (february-march 2009)
  • Newsletter 1 (january 2009)
  • 2008: UCDC starts its work