Cape residents open hearts
City of Cape Town mayor Patricia de Lille yesterday thanked all citizens who donated toys to the metro, saying Capetonians again displayed the warmth and compassion they have become known for.
“In December last year I made an appeal to residents to donate toys in a 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 towards each and every resident who took the time to make a donation. We have received more than 80 bags full of toys thus far, with about eight days left until the end of the campaign. Thank you. Baie dankie. Enkosi.
“Capetonians have once more displayed the warmth and compassion they have become known for. I personally want to thank each and every person who has contributed thus far,” De Lille said.
“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. We cannot wait to see the joy on children’s faces on that day.”
A strong educational foundation was one of most important investments in building stronger societies. These toys were a variety of play and educational materials which would be shared among early childhood development centres.
This would ensure that children at various levels of development would be stimulated in their early development.
By cultivating a culture of reading early on through exciting books and providing toys for recreation, one was investing in the educational needs and future of the most vulnerable in their formative years. This formed part of the city’s organisational development and transformation plan, with an intensified service delivery focus to bring about an even greater parity of services for everyone in the city.
The toys will be distributed to the 17 toy libraries in February, in Manenberg, Atlantis, Elsies River, Nyanga and Mfuleni, among others, for the benefit of all the early childhood development centres in their surrounds. They would also be distributed to the 32 city-owned ECDs across Cape Town.
“Children from our most disadvantaged areas will be able to play with the toys at the local ECDs. These toys will, therefore, be bringing much-needed cheer into the safe spaces provided by our ECDs. Let’s Play It Forward. Let’s go Cape Town,” De Lille said. – ANA