Thanks for ‘playing it forward’ in toys

CAPE Town mayor Patricia de Lille yesterday thanked all citizens who donated toys to the city, saying Capetonians have again displayed the warmth and compassion they have become known for.

“In December I made an appeal to residents to donate toys in good condition to our newly-established early childhood development (ECD) toy libraries and City of Cape Town-owned early childhood development centres as part of the Play It Forward campaign.

“We are exceedingly grateful to every resident who took the time to make a donation. We have received over 80 bags full of toys, with about eight days left until the end of the campaign. Thank you. Baie dankie. Enkosi.”

Donation boxes are still in all city libraries and on the concourse level of the Civic Centre until January 31 for those who would like to make donations.

The toys will be distributed in February, and “we cannot wait to see the joy on children’s faces on that day”, De Lille said. “We always say it takes every single resident to build a caring city. We know that it takes a village to raise a child. It is really heart-warming to know that during the festive season there were so many who took the time to make a difference and bring joy to our sons and daughters in the city.”

A strong educational foundation was one of most important investments in building stronger societies, she added. These toys were a variety of play and educational materials which would be shared among early childhood development centres.

This would ensure children at various levels of development would be stimulated in their early development. By cultivating a culture of reading early through exciting books and providing toys for recreation, one was investing in the future of the most vulnerable in their formative years, De Lille said.

This formed part of the city’s organisational development and transformation plan, with an intensified service delivery focus to bring even greater parity of services in the city. The toys would be distributed to the 17 toy libraries in Manenberg, Atlantis, Elsies River, Nyanga and Mfuleni, among others, and to the 32 city-owned ECDs across Cape Town. –ANA

PICTURE: DAVID G RICHARDSON ROW, ROW, ROW: Braam Malherbe and Clyde Barendse set off on a final proving run to Dassen Island where they will spend the night before setting off on the Dot Challenge Cape To Rio row.

BEARING UP: Patricia de Lille with donated toys destined for libraries and early development centres across Cape Town.