Mtubatuba’s children eat, pray, love in safety
LITTLE faces light up when Angela McLaren joins them on a mat on the concrete floor of her crèche in Mtubatuba, northern KwaZulu-Natal.
The small building, surrounded by rural houses and sugar cane fields, comes to life with the melody of Zulu nursery rhymes.
Angela and Keith McLaren started the Zwelisha crèche and learning facility in 2005. The staff consists of trained caregivers and a teacher.
The children get up and move to their classroom, where Buhle Msane is ready to teach them colours with the use of colourful balls.
Angela, 60, a former teacher, and her husband, Keith, 62, a pastor, left Durban in November 1994 for Mtubatuba. Their intention was to spread the gospel, but they found themselves empowering the community by establishing crèches and an orphanage.
“Things were a lot different from what we expected. People were in such poverty. It had to become more than just a church service. It was too painful to see the children’s neglect, poverty, social injustices and unemployment in the community.
“Our priority was to take care of the children. While their mothers went to work in the fields, the children would be left at home to fend for themselves. We once found a child abandoned and with a big belly from eating sand. These children crawl out of their huts and eat sand to counter the hunger pangs. We decided to open daycare centres for the children,” said Angela.
From one crèche it has grown to three — Zwelisha crèche, Silethokuhle crèche and Khanyeni crèche, with about 200 children altogether, as well as an orphanage — Lakithi Children’s Home — which is situated on the Edwaleni church property and is home to nine children aged seven to 17.
“After starting Edwaleni church we were informed by our son Ross that many of the children had told him they were sleeping in the surrounding bush. We provided meals from our home kitchen, as well as an ablution facility. We bought school uniforms and paid their school fees, but accommodation remained a problem,” said Keith.
After many struggles and promises of venues and properties, they bought a property — an old trading complex with ample buildings and outbuildings — on seven hectares.
“Children staying with us attend school and church and are involved in the income-generating projects on site. This helps them learn skills and earn pocket money,” said Keith.
The projects include egg farming and chicken farming and, more recently, growing vegetables. They have started a bakery, which is also part of their skills training.
Keith said they relied on the projects to sustain the crèches and orphanage.
“The free-range eggs are sold to bed and breakfast establishments in St Lucia and chickens are sold to locals. Through the projects we are able to pay staff salaries. The crèches are all government registered, but are not receiving any funding.
“We are disillusioned by welfare staff,” said Keith.
Maintaining the crèches and orphanage costs almost R40 000 a month.
Keith said every week brought a new challenge.
“I am always looking for ideas to help the people from the community generate an income. We train people at the church to bake using a coal stove. If they have an interest, then we help set up a business,” he said.
The establishment of an aquaponics farm, an initiative to produce vegetables such as lettuce using 90% less water, is one of their latest ideas.
Eunice Gwala, 67, who used to make grass mats to earn a living, now bakes 30 loaves of bread a day; she sells them to parents whose children are at Zwelisha crèche.
“I am so happy to have learnt to bake bread. I know I am guaranteed to sell them as the parents place orders. I sell them for R8, while at the shop it is R11. I make a profit of R4 a loaf, which I save and use to pay for the premix and flour,” said Gwala.
At the crèche the children are provided with two meals a day and follow a programme of structured lessons, playtime and physical activities.
“The feedback I receive from schools which the children go to for Grade R is that children from here cope very well.
“We are happy that the crèche provides a happy and safe place and is a central point for moms and dads,” said Angela.
Florence Hlope, 42, works as a grass cutter while her year-old child Asphile attends the crèche. Hlope said she was so happy to have a place to leave her child.
“It is close to my work. There is no one at home to take care of my child,” said Hlope.
In their earlier days in Mtubatuba, the McLarens focused on HIV/Aids in the community.
The difficulty was that people did not want to be tested and teenagers did not want to take their antiretrovirals.
Angela said their priority was to provide a healthy and holistic home that is safe for the children.
“It is scary and sad when we hear of young girls, aged 11 and 12, shacking up with cane cutters. We would report it to the police. The police would speak to the man . . . the girls can’t resist the lure of being wanted.
“We try to teach the children, especially those living at the orphanage, responsibility and to educate themselves to improve their lives and their society,” she said.
“We are happy to be making a difference in a significant way in the lives of this community,” said Keith.
It had to become more than just a church service. It was too painful to see the poverty and social injustices in the community The free-range eggs are sold to bed and breakfast establishments in St Lucia and chickens are sold to locals