Thank You!
We’ve helped 250,000 people. What fantastic news!
Together we can help 1 million
Fancy playing our game?
Beat our top scorer G Man who scored an amazing 23
Case Studies
New Generations School – G0007
Donor: ONE Water & The Co-operative
Location: Unaville, Lenasia, Gauteng Province, South Africa
Coordinates: S26 24 08.2 E27 52 55.4
Date installed: 3 December 2007
Beyond the notorious townships of Soweto and Lenasia – about 40 kilometres south of Johannesburg, the increasing pressure for land and housing is evident. Both townships were set up by the old Apartheid government over fifty years ago to house the migrant labour communities from the black and Indian population and have since become vibrant cultural strongholds numbering more than 1.2 million people.
But in the spaces between large informal settlements have mushroomed, creating areas like Eikenhof, Vlakfontein, Majazana and Unaville. For the children of these communities New Generations Combined School has provided a rare opportunity for children living on the rural fringes to receive an education.
In 2000, Cynthia Hadebe and a group of teachers decided to start a school on a piece of land in Eikenhof.
Within four years they had quickly outgrown the space and put out an appeal for a new site. Their appeal was answered when the local counsellor of Unaville offered them an abandoned farm house pending its sale by the state. A small rental would have to be paid from the meagre earnings the school could raise from school fees. As the school is privately registered it receives no funding from the government’s education program.
“We now have 510 learners aged from 6 to 20 trying to complete their schooling and many of the parents cannot afford to pay any fees.” Says Cynthia.
Last year only 20% of the enrolled learners could afford to make any form of contribution. Cynthia and her staff of 18 dedicated teachers all work on a volunteer basis until the school can be formerly registered.
“It is sometimes difficult to depend on your family to support you, but when I wake up the only thing on my mind is the school. I take the taxi from Orange Farm without a second thought because this is where I am happy and needed.” Says Cynthia.
The School had survived mainly through kind donations of books and uniforms and a weekly food parcel from a church group that only provides enough for the most vulnerable children to be fed.
The old homestead on the plot has since had its seven rooms converted into classrooms, with sometimes as many as 70 children crammed in to a single room. Four shipping containers were brought in to house the older students who struggle with the lack of insulation against heat and cold. “We even use the kitchen as a classroom and then when we are ready to prepare lunch, the children have to continue their lesson outside,” explains one of the teachers.
The situation may appear bleak and desperate but the commitment by both the teachers and students has been rewarded by consistently high pass rates in the past few years.
Since the farm had been neglected for some time before the school took up residence, the only borehole on the farm had fallen into disrepair and was no longer producing water. The school relied solely on delivery of a 2500 litre water tank by the municipality. “Sometimes the truck would not come for two weeks and we would be left without any water.” Says Cynthia.
When a working borehole was found outside the school grounds, the installation of a PlayPump® water system in December last year finally gave the school a reliable supply of clean water.
“The PlayPump® is the only thing we have to play with in our area and we love to laugh and play before our lessons.” Sipho is a 13 year old student at the school who often joins his friends before school starts on the PlayPump®.”
“The PlayPump® is really making a difference as the tank is filled before the school day starts and the women who cook for us can fill buckets for each class to drink from and get the meal ready faster."
The school is fundraising to be able to buy the farm when it goes on auction and then begin improving the conditions for the children. “As soon as we can fence in the PlayPump® we will begin a food garden that will make our kids flourish even more, says Cynthia.”
Grade 12 Students pile into a narrow container for their class.
These children had to vacate the kitchen in order to allow for the lunch time meal to be prepared. The time away from class was well spent on the PlayPump!
Some children received school uniforms as part of a donation.
The original building of the farmhouse now divided into seven classrooms. The house has no running water and relies exclusively on the PlayPump.
