Forgeweld gives back
Forgeweld Social Economic Development Programme is uplifting local community day care centres.
Forgeweld Engineering launched our social initiative programmes in 2014, asking Betsie Cronje to concentrate full time on identifying and implementing much needed local community development projects. Betsie’s hard work has underlined Forgeweld’s vision to uplift children in neighbouring communities and, after extensive research, it was decided to focus much needed energies on rural day care centres.
Betsie’s work took her into rural areas – Hammanskraal, Stinkwater, Suurman, Maubane, Kanana Gardens, Carousel View and Mandela Village. She discovered over 80 day care centres and most were not legally registered. Betsie began assisting them to legitimise their centres and Forgeweld became officially involved.
The most critical requirements first identified were the water shortage problems in the Hammanskraal area – the main project is to give a 3000 litre JoJo water tank to each day care centre and, so far, Forgeweld have donated 34 tanks. Forgeweld has also provided 100 mattresses, colouring books produced with recycled paper, wooden blocks that Forgeweld staff help to cut and paint, as well as crayons, clay and plastic bottle lids which staff collect for the schools to use for counting and colour matching. There are still many basic items needed by the schools and Betsie reports that Forgeweld staff members regularly contribute out of their own pockets towards buying food for the children.
Team building project 2015
Forgeweld’s team building project for 2015 was remarkable. We donated two shipping containers to “Brilliant Kinder Garden and Nursery” which was a three-roomed shack in Stinkwater. With Forgeweld staff members help, the containers were revamped into class rooms, contributing to the transformation of the premises into a safe, clean and cosy day care centre.
Projects going forward
Working together with the Department of Agriculture, (who will provide compost and seedlings), Forgeweld plans to build the frames and structures for a number of vegetable tunnels and provide the children with sustainable food.
Forgeweld plans to utilise our newly built boardroom to provide caretaker training for the day care centre carers, empowering them to play with the children in an educational way, forging the way forward for the children and their future education, care and safety.
Thank you!
A big thank you to Carousel Sun International for donating carpets. With winter on the way, the classrooms will be significantly warmer and more comfortable.
Thank you to Sambca Tiles for donating tiles for the shipping containers at “Brilliant” in Stinkwater. This was a huge contribution to transforming the classrooms.
For more information and updates on our projects, see our Facebook Page. Follow us on Facebook.
