Seagull Fund helps to uplift preschool
Lighthouse Preschool in Horseplain Informal Settlement in Kenton-on-Sea was the recent recipient of a Seagull Fund donation.
The funding was raised by Ingcungcu Community Development, an initiative that was established in 2019 to carry out projects to help uplift the struggling Ekhuphumleni community.
The funds donated were used to upgrade the preschool's equipment, establish an administration centre and also for an ongoing renovation project.
The shack that Lighthouse had been operating from had to be demolished and rebuilt after their relocation by Ndlambe Municipality, said Ingcungcu Community Development secretary Dominique Santos.
The funding included childfriendly tables and chairs for meal times, play tables, and new mattresses and cots for children under the age of two to use for nap times.
The funds were also used to purchase educational toys and cookware for the healthy eating programme, as well as equipment to establish the office.
Ingcungcu Community Development is run by a forum comprised of educators, higher education professionals, counsellors and church representatives living in or close to Ekuphumleni and who have a passion for community upliftment programmes.
Even during the Covid-19 lockdown, the forum had sponsors and dedicated community volunteers which enabled hundreds of vulnerable families to be assisted through its healthy eating schemes.
The forum has since evolved from the Horseplain project into the Lighthouse PreSchool and Community Kitchen, which has received funding from the Seagull Fund, Kariega Foundation and Kosra , as well as support from SPAR and BUCO.
These funds have been used in rebuilding the shack along sustainable lines, which includes a rainwater tank and food garden to supply the kitchen.
Santos said the project’s next fundraising efforts would be focused on building an indoor composting toilet and eco-bathroom facility for the children, which would be built using local workers.
“Wherever possible, we employ local people to deliver work done on the projects, ensuring that economic benefits of donations circulate within the local economy,” she said.