The crèche at Bosman Family Vineyards has long in operation, welcoming children from our farm and surrounding farms in the Bovlei of Wellington. Since 2009, when the farm became Fairtrade accredited, the management committee was able to use Fairtrade premiums to renovate the crèche and enlist the support, training and curriculum from the Pebbles Projects, a local NPO that focusses specifically on childhood development. Since then, the Bovlei crèche has nurtured and stimulated literally hundreds of farm children from 7 months of age until they are ready for Grade R at the local government primary school next door.
In 2020, in an effort to further sustain the impact of the crèche education, an aftercare programme was introduced, supported again by the Pebbles Project and providing the primary school children with a meal after school, homework support and extra-curricular activities.
Currently, the Bovlei Community Learning Centre supports 173 children, from ECD to Grade 7. The Grade R and 1 groups were somewhat compromised as they had to share a large room which also functioned as a community meeting room and activity centre for choir practices and the like, so was not ideal for learning.
The Stichting Garcia Foundation has been a donor of the Pebbles Project since 2014, mainly funding the Pebbles Kitchen and Nutrition Programme. In recent years, their funding has increased to include financial support for the Pebbles Health Service and Early Childhood Development (ECD) Programme.
This philanthropic foundation is managed by Paul Burema and Jolanda van Haperen and a team of passionate board members based in The Netherlands.
This year, they wanted to fund an additional building project. We looked at five possible building needs throughout the Pebbles Project farms and the Bovlei Learning Centre was selected, as it would impact the greatest number of children.
Initially, the plan was to add one classroom. Paul and Jolanda came to visit and saw the large number of children in both the After-school Club and the ECD centre. They asked us to double the planned space and approached their friends and contacts to come alongside them to help fund the additional classroom.
The Pebbles Project sourced a service provider for the buildings while Bosman helped with levelling and compacting the ground, connecting the water and electricity supply, and paving the area outside the classrooms.
There are now two well-equipped classrooms with everything a stimulating and nurturing educational space would need. One is used for the 3-4 year old children, and the other is equipped for bigger children in the Aftercare programme. There is also a computer centre and a kitchenette, as well as separate boys’ and girls’ toilets.
“The community manages this space themselves, but I am so proud when I drive by or pop in, to see this beautiful, vibrant space where young children are receiving the best start in life,” says Bosman CEO Petrus Bosman.
“Early childhood experience shapes the developing brain,” says Pebbles Director Sophia Warner. “The work we do here is essential to building a thriving community, but we cannot do it all on our own. So, our thanks goes to Paul, Jolanda and their friends for enlarging our capability and impacting so many young children.”
Remember, 2% of branded sales are ploughed straight back into projects such as these on our farm. So, by purchasing a bottle of Bosman wine, you too are giving back.