Edendale Pre-primary situated in Manenberg in the Western Cape Province is Mustadafin’s most recent registered educare in a string of established educare centres. The Foundation has established three pre-primary school classes on the already existing Edendale Primary school. Mustadafin Foundation is the first organisation that set up a pre-school within a school environment that combines educating children and capacity building.
Background:
Manenberg has its history with the forced removals in District Six, when the previous government removed people in trucks like prisoners of war in 1967. This was a direct result of the Group Areas Act under the Apartheid regime. People from all walks of life and ethnicity were thrown together in the concrete jungle of Manenberg. This became a breeding ground for conflict and people battled to adjust to their new lifestyles and environment.
“I have been deeply concerned to hear of the gangsterism and crime that daily threatens your lives; of fear in which you live…. The corruption of some police…pleas for the intervention of the army have been turned down… yours is a community in crisis. A crisis that is the result of long years of neglect…. In order to have peace we must have a better life for all. People must live in hope instead of fear. There must be jobs and security. There must be prosperity. A change for your children to enter into a world that allows them to work and succeed…. These are the things and ANC government will bring Manenberg. Jobs, houses, security…and above all, a lasting peace”
– Former President Nelson Mandela, election speech in Manenberg, 1994
Mustadafin Pre-primary role and vision:
Manenberg has many children, playing unsupervised in the streets, who need to be placed in pre-school to lay down a foundation of learning and development form the early childhood years. In 2006 there were 132 children on the school record that needed to be accommodated for pre-primary school but only 60 children could be accommodated due to the school infrastructure. Because of the involvement of the community and the development at Edendale primary, the principal and the community asked Mustadafin Foundation to become involved and help with setting them up a pre-school program in the same way as the Foundation did in other areas.
Our objective is to engage in various activities to rid the school community of poverty and crime. At Mustadafin, we maintain a holistic approach to education and by implementing this in Edendale, not only will the pre-school learners benefit but so will the 700 learners at the school and the surrounding communities.