Rosie Mbikwana struggles to feed the children who come to her day care center in Mtata. (Nombrero Dumba Hendrick/Ground Up)
- Last year, Rosie Mbikwana didn't have enough money to feed all the children at her day care center in Mtata.
- Some children from poor families came to the center with only a small bottle of sugar water to last them a day.
- But thanks to monthly donations, she is now able to feed 30 children two nutritious meals a day.
As each child was handed a pot of yogurt, the roomful of toddlers chanted, “Meal time! Meal time!” Then each child is given a spoon and their little heads bend over the pot and scoop up every last morsel.
Last October, GroundUp reported on Rosie Mbikwana's despair over the hunger she witnessed every day at Mtata's day care centre. Some of her children came with only a small bottle of sugar water for the day, so she couldn't afford to feed them herself, she said. Told.
Following the article, friends and family members pledged to collectively donate R2,500 a month to help cover the costs of Mbikwana's prosecution, GroundUp reported.
In March of this year, we visited Ma Rosie's Daycare and Crèche. The change was dramatic. With this relatively modest amount, she can feed her children two meals a day. Upon arrival, you will be given a nutritious porridge. Main dishes are served in the morning.
“Monday is rice, chicken, and vegetables,” Mbikwana explains. “Tuesday is macaroni and canned fish. Wednesday is pap and mars. Thursday is sump and beans. Friday is pap and soup.”
The third meal of the day is provided by the parents. Usually bread and eggs or bread and margarine. Mbikwana provides food to children who do not bring their own food.
She has changed as a person. She was positive and cheerful and felt relieved to be able to feed her children. Unlike other daycare centers in the area, she provides meals, so demand for space at her center has increased and she now has over 30 children in her care.
From commissions, she earns about R3,000 a month. Therefore, with her additional R2 500 she will have R500 to run the nursery school and meet the needs of her family. The civic body pays the assistant her R1 200.
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Most of the children are being raised by young single mothers or grandmothers as their mothers are still in school. Some have jobs, but most live on social grants and struggle to pay for childcare.
“Some children come for a few months and then stop coming. When I go to the house, the mother says she can't pay the bills and can't send lunch to the child. There's no food at home. So I… “I'll take the kids anyway and find some food.'' ”
Mbikwana, now 57, grew up under apartheid and is no stranger to struggle. She left school with only a Standard Her 6 (Grade 8) and after earning a living as a domestic worker in Johannesburg, she moved to Mtata's Joe in 2008 to work with her mother in her park. I returned to my home and took care of her.
After her mother died, she lived with her two children and an orphaned nephew. She has less work in Mtata and she started a day care center in a room of her home in 2021 as a source of income.
Joe Slobo Park is flanked by Nelson Mandela Park and Chris Hani Park. The story goes that Mandela himself flew to Mtata to thwart an attempt to evict people living on land that was state-owned, so it was named after a revolutionary hero in the early days of democracy.
Mbikwana's streets are potholed, lined with houses that double as small businesses, including spaza shops, taverns, and an outdoor tailor who sits in front of an old Singer sewing machine sheltered from the sun in a small gazebo. There are at least three day care centers.
The city provides water and electricity, but there are no sewer pipes. Rosie's garden is lined with small chairs with holes in the seats and a toilet underneath.
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After many battles with bureaucracy, she finally obtained conditional registration as a non-profit organization, which means she can raise funds.
Permanent registration means she is entitled to a grant from the Department of Basic Education, but it is predicated on a growing set of demands. The list of what Mbikwana needs to do to secure her permanent registration continues to grow, with regular visits from inspectors from the ministry.
“We are being told that we will have to divide the garden and create a separate room for the children with a separate entrance and toilet,” Mbikwana said.
The ministry does not fund the day-to-day running of the nursery or the infrastructure that Mbikwana is required to build.
“We're told we have to raise funds. We're a newly started small business, so we don't understand.”
It also requires establishing a five-person governance structure consisting of a chairperson, secretary, and treasurer.
“You can't create a (permanent) nonprofit without that structure. You have to have one person to help cook the food. You have to register kids every day,” she said. says.
“We complain, but there's nothing we can do about it.”