FUNIMFUNDO PRESCHOOL
The African saying, “It takes a village to raise a child,” captures the heart of how and why Food 4 Thought was established.
In 2002, it became clear that many young isiXhosa-speaking children in Stanford were spending their days unsupervised, with no dedicated Xhosa preschool available to them. Maryanne Ward, now Chairlady of Food 4 Thought, brought together a small group of women to discuss what could be done. Within weeks, this informal group grew into a committed team of seven women determined to respond.
The first step was to meet with the leaders of the Die Kop informal settlement, situated just outside Stanford. At that meeting, the community agreed that a Xhosa-speaking preschool was urgently needed. They also identified a nearby unused building, about 150 metres from the settlement, which, although in need of care, was suitable for the purpose. Community leaders cleared the surrounding bush, and the work began.
In 2003, Funimfundo Preschool, meaning “seeking knowledge,” opened its doors. Today, the school serves 75 children from Die Kop and Thembelihle, providing a safe, nurturing and educational environment for young children.
Food 4 Thought’s vision is to see healthy, happy children and communities thrive through education, skills development and economic strengthening.
Our inspiration remains the words of Graça Machel Mandela:
“It is our adult responsibility to give children futures worth having”
Our teachers
All three Funimfundo teachers originally hail from the Eastern Cape and under Nandipha’s guidance and discipline have flourished at Funimfundo preschool.
Principal, Nandipha Mtanyana, was born and educated in a small rural town called Cofimvaba in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. Nandipha, is one of four children in her family and moved down to the Western Cape in 2002 seeking work. It was at Die Kop informal settlement where Food 4 Thought found her minding children in a shack whilst their parents went to work. Nandipha, is a natural when it comes to teaching and her teaching style is soft, gentle, and caring. Nandipha, is highly respected in our community and a much-loved teacher by her past and present learners.
Food 4 Thought currently employs 7 staff members
1 X Headmistress/Grade R teacher
2 X additional teachers
1 X cook
1 X driver
1 X bookkeeper
1 X Project Manager
A thriving vegetable garden has been planted and the school playground area has grown to accommodate the play of 75 children.
CRÈCHE REGISTRATION AND HOME-BASED CRÈCHE DEVELOPMENT
Due to the success of Funimfundo preschool, Food 4 Thought is contracted by the Western Cape Education Department to assist 27 crèches to comply with the registration process, a process that is lengthy and can end up being quite expensive as many schools are in old buildings and the registration compliance entails sound buildings, hygiene, and safety.
Food 4 Thought assists with Fundraising helping these crèches to comply as well as facilitate home-based educational visits to 68 children in the Eloxuweni Community of Pearly Beach.
We also facilitate a monthly parenting workshop to 30 parents who live on farms in the Baardskeerdersbos area.
This community has never been reached before and this programme has proved to be of great value to the mothers living on farms.
YOUTH 4 THOUGHT
The purpose of the Food 4 Thought Youth Programme is to empower youth who live in poor and under-invested communities to reach their higher potential by championing their own thoughts and ideas into reality.
The objective of this project is for the youth to gather relevant and robust information that highlights the needs and challenges within their communities and then to participate in an effective and well-defined structure within their public participation platforms and confidently input youth orientated initiatives within their local municipality programmes.
To focus on workable and sustainable initiatives
To fundraise for initiatives to be launched
To empower a team of confident individuals who can bring their initiatives to life
