Time under lockdown is a strange phenomena.
In some ways it seems like days ago that the previous report on this project was released. In others, the last report is a distant memory, as so much has been happening as we push hard to complete the build and move the Lonwabo team and their learners to their new home!
Fortunately, supported by the neighbouring community, fears of land invasion which featured prominently in our last progress report have abated. But, as the Covid-19 lockdown persists, that doesn't mean we haven't faced challenges.
Finally, after planning permission was received the main contractor moved onsite in mid-April 2021, and it wasn't long before the scale of the build became apparent. Heavy plant equipment prepared the site ahead of pouring the large concrete slabs. It was a hive of activity by the time the first cement mixers began lining up in School Street ready to pour. It was a busy time.
Importantly, we were able to create a number of employment opportunities for grateful residents from the area, many of whom were out of work due to the impact of Covid. And we have focussed hard on making maximum use local suppliers and contractors in Mfuleni as the build has gone on - and I have to say their support has been amazing!.
Fortunately, RICTS, our main contractor now own a drone - so you will see some of their fantastic images in this report.
Like all builds, the main structures go up quickly, and it then takes time to get the smaller elements completed. Looking back over the last few months we were blessed by the relatively few times Covid impacted progress. But then, sadly other unrest flared up, and amidst the violence and uncertainty it became very difficult to maintain progress as people were fearful. Now, some weeks later calm has generally returned, but many people reamin wary of allowing their contracting teams to work in townships like Mfuleni. Partly because as we found to our cost, unrest also gives criminals freedom to do their worst. Although some attackers were armed with knives and guns we are so thankful that those who were harmed recovered fully.
Remarkably, in the past month we have made good progress despite these setbacks. This has been due to the amazing people who have been working to complete the Lonwabo Centre. Despite the trials and tribulations they have persevered and chivvied and encouraged those we needed to assist to get their contribution done. We are so grateful!
Yesterday, our contractor for the outdoor play areas sent me a message to say he was seriously ill with Covid pneumonia and was having to go on oxygen - this is amongst the last activities we need to complete. The bottom fell out of my world when I read the message - but today, he has made a plan, and his team will be coming to site tomorrow to begin laying the base for what is going to be an incredible play area.
So the truth about South Africa, if Mfuleni is anything to go by, is that despite the recent events there are many ordinary, but incredible people going the extra mile under difficult and challenging circumstance to continue to make a difference.
In the next few weeks we will be with Thandeka equipping the centre ready for it to open. What a milestone that will be!
Already the buildings have created interest amongst passers-by, and Thandeka has received applications for children to attend Lonwabo - some have been kept at home for years, their parents unsure of how to help them. Our radio broadcasts about the project are also reaching out to people. One of our fieldworkers recently featured on a Xhosa language radio show - she reached many many people. One grandmother, desperate to find help for her 3 year old granddaughter followed up and contacted us to request help - we are currently souring a wheelchair for her. It is clear that many people simply don't know how to access help - I hope that we are on the cusp of changing that. When I look at my own 11 month old graddaughter I can't imagine the anguish I would feel if I were in the same position - unfullfilled needs are everywhere, one feels the pain and frustration.
Hopefully in my next report I will be able to show you pictures of the children attending Lonwabo having the time of their lives in the completed outdoor play area or busy having fun in the classrooms doing great activities.
Thank you for your support - you are amazing too!
This week saw us reach a milestone - construction of the new Lonwabo Special Care Day Centre got underway. So we owe our Community Liaison Officer, our Community Security Patroller, the Security Company and all of the community members who have kept the land free of invasion a big thank you. It is a job well done as we move on to the next part of the project.
Talking to principal Thandeka this morning, Thandi said when she visited the site yesterday:
"I wept. I don't know why I was crying, but I just couldn't stop. The whole of yesterday all I could see was that site with all the equipment working on it. I still think I'm in a dream!"
Its a dream that has taken Thandeka 12 years to realise testament to her absolute faith that it would one day happen. We too have been on the journey with her for the last 5 years.
The timing is good. Reviews by the Department of Social Development and Health are due in May. Finally, perhaps, they will see for themselves that Thandeka is to move to a new, specially designed centre. Finally, perhaps, this will bring to an end all threats of closure as we look forward to working together to help the Lonwabo team and the children they serve transition into their new centre.
It will be a big change, but Starting Chance is hard at work preparing the team. Our OT and Physio specialists are already back at Lonwabo now that Covid-19 lockdown restrictions have eased to work on upskilling the carers. Our education team is back working with the team 3 Fridays a month to help to create a stimulating learning environment by introducing different activities for the children who have already returned to Lonwabo.
An inventory has been created for essential equipment required for the new centre to operate - and over the next few weeks items will begin arriving.
Looking out of the window of the site office this morning was one of those special, emotional moments that come when you feel for the first time the real magnitude of the change that Starting Chance is delivering. And you know deep in your heart that these are the times that make what we do so worthwhile! It was a truly "Lonwabo (happiness) moment!"
The opportunity that is being created is enormous, not just for the Lonwabo team but also for the children who will attend.
According to the work shedule we should complete the main construction work in early June. All being well I hope that the next report will have pictures of the finished facility.
So we invite you to stay on this journey with us, tell your friends and keep the support coming. We need to ensure these children have the right equipment like wheel chairs, side lyers, foam shapes, appropriate educational games. Your contribution is making this dream come alive!
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Coming out of lockdown the last obstacles to starting to build Lonwabo Special Care Day Centre finally seemed to be falling away. In the the last quarter of 2020 real progress with building the new centre seemed possible after months of delay due to the Covid-19 lockdown.
Tough times continued at Lonwabo. Permission to reopen after closure for the lockdown took a long time to to come. Finally in October Thandeka was given the green light to restart. BUT a strict new carer to child ratio of 1:3 was imposed. Lonwabo's capacity had fallen from 33 to 12 in one year. By the end of the year, only 8 children had returned.
For Starting Chance, restarting created the possibility of resuming training of the team, but with everyone fatigued there seemed little point. We decided to wait until the New Year, and focused on working out what equipment would be required to open the new centre instead.
The phone rang in October - it was Silvester. A long-standing community leader in Mfuleni, Silvester was concerned. As the chair of the neighbouring Primary School's Governing Body, he was calling to let me know that hundreds of metres of their security fence had just been stolen over night. But what came next was worse - land grabs had resumed. He and other community members were concerned that if they invaded the land we were buying, there would be little chance of ever clearing it again.
Suddenly we needed to act fast. I called the fencing contractor and met him on site. We inspected the area of fencing that had been stolen - we would need a more secure type. The steel price had gone up 25% and further increases were expected. I had to act now to secure the price or it would be too late. I called Silvester - although he wanted to help us, he was heavily committed at work. We needed someone who could work with him. Victor, husband of one of the principal's whom we supported, came to mind. Another long-standing community member, he knew everyone in the Ward. He agreed to help. We needed a strong local committee. Victor spoke with Silvester - within a week we had Derrick and Bashin, respected members of the community, on the team. Land grabs were continuing, shacks were being erected within 200m of the open plot of land we were racing to secure. The committee were concerned. They advised that "if three shacks are erected you will never get it back. You will need 24 hour security to make sure it is safe."
My heart sank. We had budgetted for onsite security for the duration of the build. But that was 3 perhaps 4 months away. This was going to hit our funds.
Ideally this was an opportunity to employ suitably qualified locals - but it was also a risk. Violence had flared up, it could be dangerous. We decided on a compromise - a local professional security company could cover the night and weekend patrols. A community patroller would be onsite during the week. Victor found Moses, a qualified patroller living close to the site.
Plans were needed for minor works approval to get the fence in. Gapp Architects, our partner, were under pressure as year-end aproached. We needed more resources. Su and her team came to the rescue. Specialising in plan submission, they were ideally placed to assist. Aware of the pressure we were under, Su agreed to keep the costs to a minimum. As soon as we had secured the price with a deposit, RICTS set about producing drawings to assist Su's team. It was all go.
Fortunately for me, Donovan had offered to assist with project management. An experienced supply chain specialist and construction manager, he soon got to work on site. Plans were in place and we were off. Fencing was ordered, retaining walls built and before we knew it, the padlcocks were being fitted to the sliding gates across the front of the property.
Then came news from the transferring attorney - we would need to settle "escalation" charged by the City of Cape Town before transfer to Starting Chance could be completed - unbelievably they had stuck to the purchase contract, and we were to be charged escalation for the delay in transfer caused by the Covid-19 lockdown. In total they had added R77 000 to the purchase price. Left with no alternative but to use our precious construction funds we settled the outstanding amount. It was a bitter blow as we now have to go out to raise those funds once more in order to be able to complete Phase 1. On the positive side, registration of transfer is now officially complete - the land is finally ours.
Several online meetings later, all of the reamining issues had been ironed out. Sean released the plans for a final pre-submission check. At quarter past four on Chrismas Eve Penelope submitted the plans for Lonwabo. It had been a massive effort to pull it off.
Now, our next goal is to make sure that we receive planning approval in time for RICTS to move onsite in the last week of February. If we can achieve this, we aim to be able to open Lonwabo by the end of April 2021.
Moses is doing a great job patrolling the site and making sure that it is kept clean.
We had more great news during the last quarter of 2020 when Bregal Milestone made a second, larger donation towards the project which meant that we could take the decision to pay the deposit for construction to RICTS - this secured the price and, if all goes well, will see completion of phase 1 and the delivery of the new Lonwabo Centre with 3 classrooms early in 2Q 2021.
Our "Secret Santa" drive to raise funds towards equipping Lonwabo has just raised another R18 000. We still have some way to go, but with your help and support we are getting there.
Let's hope that in my next report I will be able to include pictures of the new centre going up! That will surely be something to celebrate!
Thank you to all those who have helped us get this far. We hope with further support Thandeka's dream will soon become a reality and the children of Lonwabo will have the flying start they so badly need and deserve! After all, they are some of South Africa's most vulnerable children.
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As Thandeka mourns the unexpected passing of her husband Thembasile in July during the Covid-19 lockdown, your contributions are helping us to work towards securing the future of the Lonwabo Special Care Centre and turning her dream into a reality.
Covid-19 hasn't been kind to Lonwabo or the families whose children attend the school. For many it has been a desperate struggle to survive. Thandeka's daughter Phumza has had a daily queue of people seeking food at her gate. Fortunately working with the Rachel Swart Foundation and CAN we have been able to help people through these difficult times.
Lonwabo has struggled too. At the start of the year the Department of Social Development (DSD) and the Department of Health reviewed the existing Lonwabo facility and reduced the permitted number of children to 25. One month into lockdown Lonwabo's DSD subsidy was cut from R45 030/month to R28 700/month - as a result the centre is no longer financially sustainable without additional support. The Rachel Swart Foundation has rescued the situation throughout the Covid-19 lockdown, but the only sustainable solution is to move Lonwabo to the new centre as soon as possible. It is also the only way that children on the long waiting list who need Lonwabo's support will realistically ever get a place.
Throughout the lockdown we have been working with our Quantity Surveyor and Gapp our achitect partner to find an affordable solution. It proved to be very difficult. RICTS, our construction partner on previous builds unexpectedly came to the rescue in late July when they introduced a new fireproof panel. The reduced cost of the panel has brought a solution for between 35 to 40 children within our grasp! The other added benefit is that construction will be much faster than brick and mortar.
So as you read this report everything is beginning to pick up pace as we wait for the transfer of the title deed to be completed. Pre-Covid this was expected end April, but now end September is the earliest possibility.
We are now entering our final push to fund this build and get us past "GO". Throughout Covid-19 donations have continued to flow in through GlobalGiving and directly to Starting Chance. I am pleased to report that we almost have sufficient funds to start building Lonwabo's new home and give the children attending the centre a wonderfully safe, stimulating environment in which to develop. As shown in the plan, we have scaled back to provide 3 classrooms initially, with the hope that we can raise funds to complete the remaining classrooms at a later stage and convert the thrid classroom into a consulting room for therapists and specialists to use. So thank you for helping us reach the point we can begin to build - please consider continuing to support this project and tell your friends as we still need to raise funds to help us to equip the new centre for use.
As I write this report Starting Chance is restarting training and development in Mfuleni. We hope that if Lonwabo is permitted to reopen in October we will be able to recommence site visits and workshops with the team to ready them for the move to the new centre. However, Thandeka is concerned that social distancing will mean numbers may still have to be further reduced.
If transfer comes through as expected and planning approval goes smoothly we are aiming to begin construction during 1Q 2021. Who knows, with your continued help we may even finish it by the end of the quarter - now wouldn't that be something to celebrate!
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The first quarter of 2020 got off to a great start with the news that the purchase of land from the City of Cape Town had been approved - this is a major step forward, concluding three years of working towards a solution for Lonwabo Special care Centre.
At the start of March we were instructed to pay R630 000 ($31 500 at the current exchange rate) into the lawyers trust account to initiate transfer of the title deeds. At the time, we were stepping out in faith, knowing that we have some way to go to raise sufficient finds to begin construction. In December we established a new partnership with Bregal Milestone in the UK, who donated R320 000 towards the project. I am excited to let you know that shortly after this, the New Hope Foundation based in Sweden donated R500 000 towards the project, which more than covered the shortfall for the land purchase and moved us towards the funds needed to commence building!
Although we anticipated transfer to be complete by now, Covid-19 has undoubtedly impacted the process. In the meantime I am very happy to report that funds towards the construction of the new special care centre continue to grow through GlobalGiving - thank you to everyone who has contributed.
With South Africa going in to lockdown on March 19, we were very fortunate to be able to finalise a contract with a highly experienced Quantity Surveyor. After a quick flurry of activity, our architects managed to provide a set of technical plans in time for him to print them just before closing his offices. I have recently received the first comparative estimate of the construction cost in order for us to critically review which construction method will be most cost-effective.
There has never been a more crucial time in the 10 year history of Lonwabo Special Care Centre. 2020 started dramatically for principal Thandeka Mafila with the news that the Department of Social Development would cut the government subsidy which is crucial to their sustainability by 50% as of April. In short, the reason for this cut is that the centre cannot meet Department of Health requirements - as a result they have been instructed to reduce the number of children at a time when their waiting list for places is longer than ever!
But there is much hope at this time of urgent need:
The subsidy cut has, of course, subsequently hit Lonwabo one month into the South African Covid-19 lockdown - it could not have come at a worse time because lockdown closure = no fees which they now depend upon more than ever to pay salaries! Fortunately for Lonwabo, another 2020 Starting Chance partnership with the Rachel Swart Foundation has rescued the Lonwabo team from financial ruin and this, I am pleased to report, will ensure the sustainability of their team through the Covid-19 lockdown so that they can resume operation when schools reopen.
As the lockdown bites harder, some Lonwabo parents are in a desperate situation. Nutrition is a major issue as families struggle to put food on their table and children no longer have the assurance of a meal at school. The Lonwabo team is ever aware of their plight, and is helping support reach several families thanks to the support provided by the Rachel Swart Foundation.
Starting Chance still needs to raise $ 50 000 to be able to complete the construction of Lonwabo to increase the capacity to 60 children. We intend phasing construction so that we can relocate them in February 2021, meet the health regulations and regain financial sustainability through access to their full grant for 35 to 40 children.
Amidst the chaos of Covid-19, thanks to the generosity of people such as you, we are daring to believe that despite all odds we will be ready! And what a day it will be, when the new centre opens to welcome children requiring special care in February 2021!
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