The First Toys Arrived!
“God bless the people who give”
The South African team has assembled the first 25 Play and Learn Resource Kits to share with preschool caregivers in the Pretoria area.
“I am speechless!”
ASAP’s First Toy Donation Delivered
August 25, 2020
“I am speechless,” says Belina Mabungu.
“I am overwhelmed,” says Rieneke Schutte.
“God is good,” says Busisiwe Matamela.
All three women are involved with the Preschool Forum of PEN, an urban ministry in Pretoria, South Africa. And they have just received a windfall of 25 plastic crates and additional boxes of educational toys carefully selected to aid the development of children in the 55 preschools PEN supports.
The toys were bought with money donated by Americans whom they do not know, channeled through a charity called Adopt a South African Preschool (ASAP) to the Dutch Reformed Congregation of Stella Street in Pretoria, a longtime partner of PEN.
Rieneke, the manager of PEN’s Preschool Forums, talks of the new opportunities opening up for them with all these toys. “It will take our teaching to a new level,” she says.
Busisiwe, a PEN trainer, says their schools are going to flourish. Children learn through play and all these toys will help the children reach their developmental milestones.
PEN has been ministering in the city for more than 25 years. Their work includes helping women escape from a lifestyle of prostitution, helping homeless men equip themselves to find jobs, providing food and medical care for the poor, getting recycling going, and much more. They have also successfully operated two preschools in the city for many years.
PEN discovered that there were more and more unemployed women who make a living by looking after young children while their parents work or look for work. These women lacked the qualifications, skills and educational resources to run preschools and consequently provided no teaching or stimulation for these children. These children were simply sitting in an apartment from the time they were dropped off in the morning until they were picked up again in the afternoon.
PEN understood that this was very detrimental to the development of the children, but they also understood the predicament of the women who cared for them, and that of the parents needing affordable care for their children. So, rather than shutting down these babysitting settings called “creches”, PEN committed to support them and help them develop into proper preschools.
PEN created preschool education forums where these caregivers could come once a week for help designing a teaching program for the next week. It involves a lot of work to train women with no background in the field to become preschool teachers. But the progress has been remarkable and the preschools engaged with PEN are now “graded” on four different levels. Teachers are receiving the necessary mentoring and support for their preschools to gradually advance from level one to level four and they regularly chart the progress of every child in their care on many developmental measures. A motivated teacher may qualify for certification as an Early Childhood Educator after several years of training by PEN staff if the preschool now evidences a high standard of learning and stimulation for the children.
In order to help them, PEN has established a toy library where teachers can borrow educational toys so their children can play and learn. PEN staff provide training and personal coaching in how each toy contributes to cognitive, relational, and physical development. The ASAP donation of 25 Play and Learn Kits received on August 25, 2020, will make a huge difference to this toy library, the caregivers, and preschool children, many of whom have never held a toy before.
Rieneke cautions that “it is not quick and easy in our world”. When new things like these toys are introduced, the teachers must first be convinced to use them. But when they try it and experience the results, they become really excited.
Busisiwe says they will teach the teachers to use and care for these toys properly.
Marlèse Nel from Stella Street Church says it is the training provided by PEN to the teachers that convinced her that PEN’s Preschool Forum is the right place to support with ASAP funds. Marlese previously owned a shop selling educational toys. She knows the suppliers personally and coordinates the selection and ordering of toys so they support and enhance the preschool curriculum themes PEN has established. Marlese explained to Rieneke and Busisiwe how each different toy can be used to aid different aspects of a child’s development. She is confident that these benefits will reach countless children and make a huge difference in their lives.
Everybody felt a bit emotional when the toys were delivered to PEN and as they discussed the immense difference these toys can make. “God bless the people who give,” said Belina.
“Thank you God, for this wonderful day. Thank you God, for the people in South Africa and the people in the USA who care for your children, not our children, your children. Please guide us to make the best of it. Amen.”