It was the perfect day for celebrations this past Thursday (12 September 2013), as the sun was shining, litte ones were singing and community members gathered to marvel at the recently renovated Philippi Children’s Centre. The festivities began with welcome speeches, a prayer of thanks and a dance by the adorable Grade R learners.

The new Educare Centre includes the revamp of the classrooms which can accommodate 200 children aged between three months and six years, ablution facilities and the installation of a fully biological sewage treatment system which will save the crèche thousands of Rands annually in water bills.

Helen Diedericks, Philippi Children’s Centres’ Principal, comments, “The crèche was first opened 21 years ago so the buildings were in desperate need of a revamp. We have been dreaming about this day for over five years now and are so blessed to finally give our children the crèche environment they so desperately need. We are so thankful to the sponsors for making our dreams come true.”

The renovation was made possible by three main sponsors including PenBev, The Rotary Club of Newlands and Sustainable Development Initiative (SASDI) – Southern Africa. Other sponsors include Claytile (Pty) Ltd, Atlantic Sands, Murray & Roberts Child Welfare Fund, Helen Blakemore, other funders and volunteer groups Prince2 for Africa Foundation and Love To Langa. The building construction was completed by Granbuild (Pty) Ltd. PenBev’s

Managing Director, Stuart McLeod, says, “Education and development at an early age is incredibly important to us and we are fortunate to be able to contribute to the renovation of the only Educare Centre servicing the farming area in Philippi. This is the 26th brick and mortar project we have sponsored and we are very proud and privileged to be involved in this project.” This initiative is PenBev’s major brick and mortar project of the year and forms part of their community projects which assist in uplifting the communities in which they operate in.

Philippi Children’s Centre provides two meals a day to the children, which is often the only meals they eat during the day, and relies on the generosity of its community for donations of food, nappies and education material. Please lend your support for the Educare Centre if you are able.

For more information about the Philippi Children’s Centre or to donate much needed supplies, please contact Helen Diedericks on 021 370 0039 or Helden@telkomsa.net.

For more information about PenBev contact 021-936-5500 or visit www.penbev.co.za. Join PenBev’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/PenBev

Photographer: Craig Wilson

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Released by Reputation Matters Media contact: Lisa Sharland Mobile: 076 373 4602 lisa@reputationmatters.co.za