Free playground access to keep laaities off the streets
NURTURE: Building Bigger Tables NPO counselling and keeping kids busy in Bishop Lavis
Despite lacking resources, the Building Bigger Tables NPO in Bishop Lavis continues to spread their wings to address social issues within the Drakenstein Circle, focusing on child wellness.
The initiative started three years ago as a soup kitchen, but now also offers counselling for victims of trauma and foetal alcohol syndrome, which is a big problem among farmworker communities.
The co-founder, Lucinda Beukes, says they wish to add a playgroup to create a safe space for children aged three to five years.
The project currently runs from Lucinda’s home and she says: “We have noticed a lot of young children are in the streets and most of the time you find that parents have gone to look for work or run errands.
“And kids are in the streets because parents can’t afford to pay for a crèche so I came up with this idea.
“The playgroup is supposed to run five days a week from 9am to 2pm but we still need a lot of stuff.
“Our feeding scheme not only feeds the community but we have various projects like counselling, gardening and street soccer.”
Lucinda is a cook by trade, and completed a substance abuse course at UWC.
“I am also busy doing online parenting training for Foetal Alcohol Syndrome, and run various campaigns and donate veggies from our gardens on Saturdays,” she says.
The projects are funded from the pockets of 10 volunteers and donations.
They need pallets, educational posters, paper, plastic chairs, laptops, phones, puzzles, books, crayons, story books, chairs, black boards, and ingredients for the feeding scheme.
Anyone who can assist may contact Lucinda at 084 727 8451.