Marikana ECD Centre, our first school, was opened in 2015. Marikana is a township in Philippi East. Most of the inhabitants of the township are from the Eastern Cape. The living conditions in Marikana are dire. The area is rife with unemployment, alcohol and drug abuse, single parent families and orphans. The organization managed to refurbish an old building of about 300 square meters at a cost of about R100 000. The centre initially started with two trained teachers and 25 learners. It should be noted that none of the students at this center had previously been in any educational institution. Ukukhulisa provided their first introduction to an institute of learning. While other ECDs charge up to R1500 per month, our parents only pay R100 per month, which is R5 per day. The learners are provided with two hot meals every day.

The organization has created a safe and non-threatening environment for learning despite the bad conditions of their home environment and in their neighbourhood. Older children from the area aged 7-14 attend afternoon development classes which teach them various skills and keep them off the streets. These children are also provided with a hot meal every day as they are very hungry after school. Some learners come to the centre to be mentored in drama classes and assisted with homework tasks, while others are tutored in religious studies. The centre has a holiday programme during the winter school holidays for six weeks where students do creative arts, drama and go on interesting and educational outings. The centre also offers a parents progamme once a week. Professional life coaches and trained social workers are available to teach parents skills to help them cope with life challenges. Parents are provided with snacks and meals during these sessions.

The centre’s social programme provides regular food parcels and we have a winter blanket drive every year. Through our educational and social programmes we have managed to provide care and support for many orphaned and neglected children daily. We have noticed a drastic positive change in the behaviour, manners, physical abilities and emotional state of the children. We are confident that we have given these learners a solid foundation which has enabled them to successfully pass from ECD into Primary school.