Building 'Ithemba'

 

In March 2016, we took on a very exciting project to help expand the work of the Khaya Centre. We were asked to help them build a new centre on the other side of the township of Lehae which would feed hundreds more children and provide another 50 children with free early years education. A team of 17 adults and young people from the UK headed out during the Easter holidays and in just 3 weeks ‘Ithemba’ (meaning hope) was built. Ithemba is made up of 3 shipping containers placed in a rectangular formation to create a courtyard (play area) in the centre and houses a kitchen, 4 classrooms and toilets.

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This new centre means that more children can access education who otherwise would not be able to due to their poverty. The project hasn't just made a huge difference in the lives of the children attending the centre. Every person who came on the trip was hugely impacted by the experiences we had and the reality of the poverty we witnessed.

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We couldn't have built iThemba without the huge amount of support we had in raising the money to get the team out there and to purchase all the building materials. In total we raised £25,000 to make all this happen. Thank you to everyone who helped us reach this amazing target. You really have been a part of changing people's lives.

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Here are some photos that show the development of the build from the cleared land through to the open day:

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