Upon investigating the educational facilities in the Hemel-en-Aarde, and specifically on the Ridge where Creation is situated, it became apparent that there were no Early Childhood Development facilities, that the local farm school was in desperate need of assistance and that the children had no afterschool assistance with homework, nor any extra-curricular activities. There was also no public transport available which meant that children could not travel to the neighbouring town of Caledon to benefit from those schooling facilities.
Creation approached the Pebbles Project, who immediately recognised the need in the area and committed to establishing an Early Childhood Development Centre and After School Care Club. A local landowner, Anthony van Hoogstraten, generously set aside a portion of his farm and the existing buildings for the purposes of this project. Situated just 4 km from Creation and a mere 2 km from the local farm school, this was the perfect location.
Thanks to generous donations from Creation clients and local business, the first 22-seater bus could be purchased, and the centre opened its doors in January 2017. Madelein Snyman, Pebbles Hemel-en-Aarde Education Project Manager, comments:
Thanks to the continuous support from Carolyn Martin and the amazing team at Creation Wines, the Pebbles Hemel-en-Aarde Education Project has been able to support close to 80 children living in and around the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley. Not only do they run a variety of fundraising campaigns to support the project financially, but they have also assisted us with forming invaluable partnerships with individual, international, corporate and local donors alike. The Pebbles Hemel-en-Aarde Education Project would not be in the position of changing so many lives if it wasn’t for Carolyn and her dedicated team.
To read more about the Pebbles Hemel-en-Aarde Education Project, and other social responsibility initiatives supported by Creation, click here. To find out more about the wonderful work done by the Pebbles Project, kindly visit www.pebblesproject.co.za.
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