The Sondela Preschool was started 11 years ago to reach the many children in the community
who did not have the opportunity or finances to attend pre-school. At present 150 children,
ages 2- 6 years, attend daily from 8:00am - 12:00pm. Children are divided into groups according to age
and 7 teachers each have a class of between 20 and 30 children. Every day the children are provided with
a plate of food and a cool drink from the kitchen director who prepares the meal. The purpose of the
school is to teach the children the importance of accepting Jesus Christ as their Saviour and living
according to God's plan for their lives. We believe that if they learn to live according to God's plan
at a young age, it will make a significant difference in their lives as they grow up and in their
communities in later years. They are also taught the basic concepts that will prepare them for formal
schooling in Grade 1. Home language of the children is Xhosa, but they are taught in English as this
helps them to be better prepared for later years of schooling. Sondela Preschool is totally dependant
on fees paid by the parents of R50.00 (about $7.00) per child per month. This amount helps us to pay
the teachers R700.00 per month (about $100.00). The school depends on donations for food, stationary,
educational equipment and toys for the children. Many of the children are orphans and the number that
have AIDS or TB is not known. Many parents/caregivers are unemployed and depend on a monthly grant
from the government to feed and educate their children.
Pray for:
- the teachers
- for spiritual growth in their own lives
- for patience with the children
- for an ability to communicate God's love to the children
- for physical health and strength
- Could you live on $100/month???
- the children
- that God would open their spiritual eyes to understand and accept the Gospel
- for the ability to learn pre-school skills in a second language
- that they would be good witnesses at home about what they are learning at school
- that they would remain healthy and that God would protect them from the many dangers
in their community
- the parents/caregivers
- many adults or teenagers are looking after large numbers
of children with minimal resources. Sometimes this results in child abuse or unfair
treatment or neglect of the children. Pray that they would be reached with the Gospel
and be wise in the decisions they make concerning the children.
If you would like to respond to this information, please send a letter of encouragement to:
| The Teachers |
| Sondela Preschool |
| P O Box 53139 |
| MTHATHA 5099 |
| South Africa |
or
send a donation marked "Sondela Preschool" to ZEMA.
