Cape Town - For nearly three weeks from the beginning of next month, the V&A Waterfront will be the site of a pop-up crèche for children from the notoriously under-resourced township of Joe Slovo Park.
The mobile crèche will be constructed from refurbished shipping containers and will constitute a 6m container classroom and a 6m container kitchen. These will be stationed at the Clock Tower precinct.
Tim Smith, director of Breadline Africa which is behind the initiative intended to raise awareness about the effective use of containers in poorer communities, said: “Quality early childhood development depends on the synergy of a number of factors. The basic requirements for a centre include compliance with health, safety and structural requirements, at least one nutritious meal per day for each child, appropriate educational and developmental material including adequate play facilities, toys and a blanket.”
He said that many children in South Africa are unable to access centres that meet even these most basic requirements.
According to a recent poverty trends report by Stats SA, the highest levels of poverty are among the younger sections of the population.
The report states: “Not only was the poverty headcount highest in the younger age groups, but the poverty gap and severity of poverty measures were also highest.”
The figures say that almost 56 percent of children in South Africa live below the poverty line, whereas for most age groups considered such as adults or the elderly, percentages remain in the 30s.
The report also showed a strong link between increased level of education and decreased levels of poverty, saying there were “stark differences when one examines poverty status according to the education status of individuals”.
This “cycle of poverty” is one that the pop-up crèche at the V&A Waterfront will highlight as it hopes to show that refurbished containers are an innovative way to overcome conditions in under-resourced communities so that young children stand a chance of having a stronger foundation.
According to the South African Child Gauge of last year: “Many children in South Africa have to travel long distances to school.
“One in six children live far from their primary school, and one in five lives far from their high school.”
Puleng Phooko, who heads the container programme at Breadline Africa, said: “Research in South Africa and internationally indicates that the early years in a child’s life are critical for learning and development, which starts in infancy long before formal education begins. Early childhood development plays a fundamental role in assisting children in the process of acquiring concepts, skills and attitudes.
“High-quality childhood interventions have lifelong effects on learning and motivation.”
The organisation takes disused shipping containers which are then recycled for community purposes.
There are in excess of 200 across the country.
The project at the V&A Waterfront is being conducted in collaboration with the Desmond and Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation, and the crèche will ultimately be donated to Masande, a crèche in Khayelitsha.
Cape times