A KwaMashu, Durban, pre-school and creche, forced to utilise two wood-and-iron structures to
serve 130 children aged six months to five years for the past five years, has been equipped with a
new mobile classroom valued at R185 000, thanks to the efforts of the South African Muslim
Charitable Trust (SAMCT).
Handing over the new facility to Sekusile Day Care recently, SAMCT representative, Mr Gaf Osman,
said: “This pre-school and creche, which opened its doors five years ago in 2017, does amazing work
serving the needs of a disadvantaged local community in spite of facing – as it does – the most
difficult challenges. It was the first registered early childhood development operation in the area,
becoming a safe haven for the children in its care.”
“The staff are exceptionally caring and have created a fun and stimulating environment for all the
children here. It is clear that these children are surrounded by love and warmth and that really helps
them get the best start in life and to begin enjoying a life-long love of learning. Early childhood
development is hugely important, setting the base for continuous learning, behaviour, and health.
Stimulation at a very young age shapes the brain and a child’s capacity to learn, promotes
interaction with others and helps creates the ability to respond positively to the strains of daily life,”
Mr Osman added.
He stressed that facilities, such as Sekusile Day Care, provide the building blocks for educational
achievement, economic productivity, responsible citizenship, strong communities, and – ultimately –
improved quality of life.
“In spite of its rudimentary facilities, Sekusile Day Care has emerged as the backbone of the
community, setting out to keep children safe and off the streets, and providing an excellent
education to assist learners to achieve their goals in the future. It strives to instill in those in its
charge independent thinking and responsibility, whilst inspiring them to realise their full potential
and to enjoy life’s journey by contributing positively to the world around them.”
“However, and in spite of the staff’s unwavering dedication to their vocation, they have become
increasingly aware that the two wood-and-iron structures which had served them so well, were no
longer providing an ideal or structurally safe haven for the facility’s ever-increasing intake of
children,” Mr Osman said.
Upon learning of Sekusile Day Care’s plight, the SAMCT opted to help.
Mr Osman said: “Our organisation was very pleased to be able to provide a new mobile classroom to
Sekusile Day Care; a classroom which will make sure that all the children attending this pre-school
and creche receive the personal attention necessary to assist with promoting their individual growth
and development.”
The SAMCT, created in 2008, was established to provide funding, services and other resources for
the improvement of the lives of the vulnerable, deprived and disadvantaged. It has successfully
delivered solutions throughout the country, irrespective of race or religion and works to support
needy organisations in the fields of health, social development, poverty alleviation and education.
“I hope that this new classroom will make the staff and children more comfortable and not as badly
affected by overcrowding, as was the case in the past, and that it will help restore the safe haven
status with which Sekusile Day Care is associated. Crucially, I trust that it will inspire a desire for lifelong learning and provide the building blocks necessary for success in the future,” Mr Osman
concluded.
For more information about SAMCT or its Sekusile Day Care classroom donation, please contact:
Rasheeda Motala
Social Responsibility Officer
Tel: 084 506 2280
Email: samct@samct.co.za