This centre is owned by Mrs Sylvia Chauke, and is on her property. The area is still an informal settlement but is being upgraded with lights and water. RDP houses have been promised.

This centre has 83 children housed on a very small premises. The owner will not take more children next year, so as to reduce the overcrowding which has resulted in children receiving less than optimum care.

The toilet area is inadequate and they desperately need a proper toilet area. Although they have one flush toilet, this is far from adequate. The door of the toilet is kept open when one uses it by one's knees, as the door is so close to the toilet!

The owner has asked the councillor for her area for a site to build a new centre and hopes to hear from her in September. Although we have spruced up areas of her playroom, we are not doing any building work as she may well be moving soon.

Two classes of 32 and 27 children share time in the playroom, since we have instituted the programme and helped the staff to separate the children into age groups. We've arranged that one group plays outside while another is busy inside and so on. It is not ideal and the toys we have taken out to them are already looking scrappy, and many of the baby toys lost and broken.

We hope that next year we will see a very different situation, and can make real changes and improve the quality of care that the children receive. The young ECD practitioner looking after the four to five year olds really has an aptitude for working with children and is very motivated.