Over R1.8m invested in six new classrooms for Nederburg Primary

Thursday 5 March 2020 marked a milestone for Nederburg Primary School in Lantana, Paarl.

Global donors from the USA to the Western Cape joined hands to fund brand new Kwikspace classrooms for 212 Grade R and Grade 7 learners.

The Val de Vie Foundation, in collaboration with My School, My Village, My Planet, the Hopewell United Methodist Church, Downingtown Pennsylvania (HUMC), TFG and Rhodes Food Group proved that alone we can do so little, together we can do so much.

The new classrooms, ISO 9001 quality certified for 20 years, replaced the old classrooms which were in a state of major disrepair. Through a collaboration with the Western Cape Education Department (WCED), the donors’ funds were matched to 40 percent, making it possible for the more than R1.8 million upgrade to take place.

“The opportunity to partner with other donors and provide these much-needed facilities shows the true power of collaboration,” says Pieter Twine, General Manager at MySchool, My Village, My Planet. The unveiling ceremony was a true highlight on the school calendar with speeches from Executive Mayor Conrad Poole, Juan Benjamin Director Winelands WCED, The Val de Vie Foundation and keynoted by Tony and Cammy Brantzeg who traveled specially from HUMC in the USA. Principal Melville Lawrence moved the audience with his testimony on what this investment meant to the entire school and community.

Each and every one of the 850 learners was recognised with an abundance of gifts to celebrate the day. Little hands were laden down with the bounty: ice cold Bonaqua flavoured water courtesy of PenBev, fresh fruit, Nederburg Primary rulers and National Geographic Kids magazine. The entire school and educators were also handed their own lovingly sewn blankets by the TFG Foundation Sew Good project. This project teaches out-of-work women to sew and has produced almost ¼ million blankets to date. The morning then wrapped up with the distribution of age-appropriate Readers for the 212 learners provided by Biblionef.

“Strengthening communities is at the heart of everything we do. These renovations will create comfortable spaces that enhance learning for years to come,” says Deidre Vrede, CSI consultant at TFG.