Refurbished centre a beacon of hope

The newly refurbished Nompumelelo Learning Centre, which serves as a pre-school for 35 orphaned children between the ages of three and five years old, is the hope of the Nqonqweni community.

Run by Caring for Orphans in Rural Areas (Cora), a non-profit organisation that develops preTown school enrichment centres, it comprises classrooms, a kitchen, a courtyard and play area and is now run on solar power.

Global consulting, engineering, procurement, and construction company Black & Veatch, in partnership with non-profit organisations Cora and Sun Partners International (SPI), celebrated the opening of the upgraded electrified learning centre last week.

The fully electrified centre enables Cora to better prepare meals for the children as well as enable the children to continue learning during times when there is poor natural light.

Cora founder, Kathy Schultz said: “One of Cora’s main objectives has always been to enhance and empower the communities we work with.”

Said Hamanth Ramlatchman, lead electrical engineer at Black & Veatch South Africa and project manager for the centre refurbishment: “Early education plays an important role in a child’s life.”

“The solar photovoltaic panels, batteries, and wiring system installed via the collaboration will provide sustainable power to the centre for years to come,” said Mark Hannifan, founder and president of SPI.