In 2010, Breadline Africa was introduced to Plaatjie. At the time, she had made a plea for support for the work she was doing. She was running a preschool for 60 children between the ages of one and six years, feeding them daily from her small makeshift shack she was using as a kitchen, and running a soup kitchen for the elderly from her meagre earnings.
The preschool operated from a 6.5 metre by 4.6 metre shack, with a rusty roof that leaked whenever it rained, and the toilet facilities for the children were no better. The facilities lacked ventilation, and were not fireproof. To top it off, there was hardly any space for a play area for the little children.
Amid these constant challenges, Plaatjie has not only persevered and pushed on, she continues to inspire the general public to become more involved; she encourages and welcomes collaboration with other sectors. Most importantly, she has dedicated her life to others.
The newly refurbished containers: two classrooms, a kitchen and an ablution block, donated by Breadline Africa and co-sponsored by the Marthe van Rijswich Foundation, the Stanley Smith Fund and Containers4Life, have provided not only a bigger, safer and securer space for the centre, but also an inviting, child-friendly structure.
Aptly named Lukhanyiso Preschool, which means 'brightness' in Xhosa, kick-started 2015 with the new facilities. It is hoped that the new facilities will provide a healthy learning environment that is inspiring to children and serve as an encouragement to the community, helping them realise their own potential.
Breadline Africa focuses its energies on the upliftment of early childhood development and their surrounding communities. "Offering early childhood development facilities to create healthy environments for children to develop holistically, especially in poorly resourced areas, is critical to offering a foundation of knowledge, maturity and independence," said Puleng Phooko of Breadline Africa. "We are proud to be supporting Plaatjie, who has shown that despite the odds, she strongly believes in the need to nurture and grow South Africa's children.
