Most childcare facilities in informal settlements have minimal funds. After food, utilities and minimal salaries, there is seldom anything left for maintenance. As a result, the facilities soon become dilapidated.

Newkidz – with the help of volunteers – co-ordinates extreme makeovers of

• Early Childhood Development Centres
• Children’s Homes
• Foster family accommodation
• Shelters for abused women and children.

Newkidz recruits volunteers from all walks of life to contribute to the makeover project by doing painting, gardening, maintenance etc. so that roughly six weeks worth of work is completed in just three or four days! It is very exciting, and the results are immediate.

Newkidz also facilitate teambuilding projects for corporates. As an alternative to the normal team building activities such as paintballing, quad-biking or go-karting, we co-ordinate a half or full day project in the community to beautify a centre. A far more rewarding activity for all concerned.

Each project is scrutinised prior to the makeover to ensure that good governance is in evidence, and that the facility has the children’s best interests at heart.

Once a project is completed, Newkidz stays in touch with the facility by

• networking on their behalf
• sharing donations received
• promoting training specific to their needs and holding the management accountable for the upkeep of the facility

The Challenge

3 x double storey buildings each floor representing a cottage with about 9 rooms PLUS 1 x double storey admin block and garden

The work that we planned to do over the weekend included extensive painting; murals on the walls; replacing bedroom and kitchen cupboards; sanding floors; electrical; plumbing; new bedding, curtaining and blinds; carpentry; gardening; painting the entire interior boundary vibrecrete wall; repairing the tarmac parking area; roof cleaning and guttering.

Thank you CAPE TOWN - you exceeded yourselves!

The Success Story

As NEWKIDZ, we stand amazed at the number of volunteers who came and helped improve the Leliebloem Child & Youth Care Centre over the weekend of the 27th – 29th July 2012.

1039 men, women and children rallied together and filled 1512 3-hour shifts under the supervision of NEWKIDZ Team Leaders, helped with painting, packing & sorting, cleaning, general repair work and gardening. It was an awesome sight to witness.

There was a total of 51 companies who helped us, many of whom gave their labour and material either for free or at a huge discount, for which we are so grateful. A number of companies worked until late into the night to ensure that the work was completed on time. We were blessed with great weather right in the middle of Cape Town winter, the wettest we have had in years!

The value of this project is a staggering R1 200 000. The improvements included: interior painting of 3-double storey buildings; new light fittings; plumbing repair work; re-upholstery of lounge furniture; new tops for all 6 dining room tables; murals on the walls; new bedding on all the beds; blinds on all windows; 5 of the cottages got brand new kitchens cupboards; tiling; new bathroom fittings; carpet tiles & novilon was laid in the passages and kitchen; brand new small appliances for the cottages; paving; new lawn was laid; a vegetable garden and orchard was created; garden landscaping; the entire perimeter wall was painted; tarmac at the front of the property was repaired; veranda covering was replaced and the windows were washed.

Thank you to every single person and every single company who helped. On behalf of the NEWKIDZ team, it was an honour serving with you.

Masigcine Children’s Home

A group of friends from Brackenfell were challenged to look at an opportunity to serve in a neighbouring community as a way of being more outward orientated. They short-listed a few possibilities and chose to adopt the Masigcine Children’s Home in Mfuleni, which is a place of safety for about 28 abandoned and orphaned children.

Nokhwezi EduCentre

Nokhwezi EduCentre is a day care centre which accommodates children between 3 months and 6 years of age in the Mfuleni district of Blackheath, situated in the northern suburbs of Cape Town. 

The Spic & Span Mfuleni Street Project

On the morning of Saturday the 28th March 2009, 23 students from the Raymond Ackerman Academy of Entrepreneurial Development participated in THE SPIC & SPAN MFULENI STREET PROJECT offering residents of Mfuleni a fresh ‘lick’ of paint on fences and gates.

The Noncedo EduCare

The Noncedo EduCare, in Mfuleni is a well-run centre which caters for young black children between the ages of 1 month and 6 years of age. Early in the morning a team from Old Mutual arrived ready to change the appearance of Noncedo forever.

Fellowship Christian School

Fellowship Christian School is situated in a disused metal scrap yard in Phillipi in the southern suburbs of Cape Town. This school, which tutors young children from disadvantaged backgrounds in the area, is run by dedicated ladies who have good hearts and care deeply for these children. Apart from diligently teaching they provide both breakfast and lunch for these youngsters every day.

Emmanuel Educare

After postponing the project TWICE because of bad weather, at 8.30 a.m. on the 18th and 19th of November the staff from GSK pharmaceuticals took up their posts armed to the teeth with spades, forks, paint brushes, compacters, grinders, hammers and scrapers!!! The battle was about to begin and the troops were ready!

Heatherdale Children’s Home

Heatherdale Children’s Home, which is located in Athlone, is the place of residence for approximately 40 abandoned, orphaned and neglected boys and girls.

St George’s Home for Girls

The 40 teenage girls who call St George’s Home for Girls their home have been dreaming about a new lick of paint for years. During March 2010 their dreams came true one hundred fold. MySchool and Woolworths sponsored an Extreme Makeover of the entire orphanage.

Lonwabo Home for Children with Disabilities

Thandeka Mafila opened her centre in October 2008 after listening to Radio Zibonele. She responded to a plea from a representative from the Khayelitsha Disabled Forum for someone to open a centre for disabled children in the Mfuleni community because parents of children with special needs were phoning the centre in Khayelitsha but transporting of the children was a problem.

Enza

Enza is a non-profit organisation which aims to empower underprivileged women and girls to become economically active and self-sufficient with their focus group being women and girls who are forced to give up their babies for adoption due to their socio-economic circumstances.

Khulangolwazi EduCare Centre

Khulangolwazi EduCare Centre is situated in the Enkanini informal settlement in Khayelitsha. It employs 8 people from the community and cares for over 100 children from 3mnths to 6 years of age.

Building blocks childrens home

This was a special project where 14 volunteers from Old Mutual rolled up their sleeves to help at this special Home which cares for 16 abandoned and orphaned tiny babies and toddlers.

Mzamowethu EduCare centre

This day started with a true Cape Town down pour but I believe the rain drops were blessings on the day as it turned out to be an awesome time for everyone who ventured out to Extension 3 in Mfuleni to improve the conditions at Mzamowethu EduCare Centre.

Mooiplaas Community Centre

Over the weekend of the 1st – 3rd April 2011; in under 24-hours and with the help of over 70 volunteers a building that was in serious need of repairs on a wine farm was restored to a beautiful building for the people of this farming community.

Heavens shelter house

Over the weekend of the 6th – 8th May, 195 volunteers from all over Cape Town joined Brights Hardware in celebrating their 40th birthday to uplift Heaven’s Shelter House (Mitchells Plain) for abused women and children to a beautiful and welcoming place of safety.

Baphumelele Childrens Home

The word “extreme” took on a whole new dimension in Khayelitsha over the weekend of the 29th – 31st July 2011 when what was viewed as the impossible was achieved. 459 volunteers teamed up to be the Army of Angels and filled 796 shifts over the 3-days period.

Heatherdale Childrens home

NEWKIDZ, in association with the Volunteer Youth Project did some much needed maintenance work during the team’s 7-day program here in South Africa. The group consists of ten volunteers from the United Kingdom and the work was done on Monday the 22nd August 2011. Then on Thursday the 15th September, in just one day the staff from GSK upgraded all the girls and their carers’ bedrooms!

Scorpio Creche

The weather in Cape Town during October is normally warm and sunny but over the weekend of the 28^th to 31^st it was the opposite, but this didn’t stop the volunteers who came to help at the Scorpion creche makeover. 

Scorpio Creche

The weather in Cape Town during October is normally warm and sunny but over the weekend of the 28^th to 31^st it was the opposite, but this didn’t stop the volunteers who came to help at the Scorpion creche makeover. 

Zanethemba Kidz Haven

Investec Community Fund approached NEWKIDZ to help improve Zanethemba Kidz Haven creche which is situated on a small corner plot in Philippi. It was astonishing how much was completed in just one day – 26th November 2011.

Noncedo EduCare

On the 2nd of April 2012 Engen Corporate Affairs Volunteer Team took up the challenge of improving the exterior of the Noncedo EduCare in Mfuleni in just 1-day! This initiative formed part of the Engen Conference and proved to be an excellent team building event.

TeamUP for Masigcine Childrens Home

NEWKIDZ was birthed at the extreme makeover of the Masigcine Children’s Home in Mfuleni in September 2007. Four years have passed since this amazing makeover and now it was time for a fresh coat of paint and general maintenance. Together with TeamUP, this makeover was done on the 14th and 15th of April.

Mzamowethu Educare and Ackermans

Ackermans staff members, who adopted Mzamowethu EduCare in Mfuleni as their Ububele Volunteering Initiative, arrived at the EduCare in full force on Friday the 11th May. 

Siphamandla EduCare

It was a typical wet winter weekend for Cape Town with pouring rain the whole of Friday and most of Saturday but our team leaders and volunteers were determined to push through and bless the children who attend the Siphamandla EduCare in Crossroads.

Mandela day beach clean-up