Jam-Jam’s two children ‘ six and one year old – were attending Safe Future for Kids because she has no money to send them to the other more expensive crèches in the area. She receives a grant for three of her children amounting to R750 a month. With that money Jam-Jam buys school uniforms and books for her elder children. She then buys food for the family and pays crèche fees for the two younger ones.
‘Crèches in the area are very expensive. Some of them ask for R200 a month, if it is cheap it’s normally R150. That is a lot of money for me to pay. I was relieved when Safe Future for Kids was opened. For the first time ever I could afford to put my children in a crèche. I pay R20 per child and have peace of mind knowing that my children are safe,’ explained the RR Section resident.
‘Parents want the container to start working because the shack the children learned from was a health risk for them. In winter it was too cold. When it rained the shack leaked and the children got sick all the time,’ said Jam-Jam.
‘Now the six year old goes out playing all day. Sometimes when I’m busy with the younger one I always fear that my elder child might get hurt or hit by a car because the area is very dangerous. When they were at crèche I never used to worry,’ she said.
Like many other parents Jam-Jam doesn’t understand why the children are being made to remain in a dingy shack when they have an airy, new container at their disposal.
