A 60-year-old mother who gave up her home to feed matriculants breakfast before their exams is now helping 120 primary and high school pupils to complete their homework in the afternoon.
Delft community worker, Wilhemina Heynes, who works at the Nelson Mandela Peace Park NGO, says she decided to help the kids with their reading and homework because she wants them to succeed.
About 120 children from schools in Delft come to the NGO from Monday to Thursday, where they do their huiswerk, eat a meal and pray.
Wilhemina says she achieves this with the help of dedicated facilitators.
The children are between the ages of six and 14 years old.
SUCCESSFUL: Kids working on their homework with dedicated facilitaors in the Delft home. PHOTO: SUPPLIED.
Mondays include a physical activity.
“Tuesday are dedicated to homework,” says Wilhelmina.
“On Wednesdays, the children do spelling and reading. Thursdays are for devotion.”
Wilhemina says the children are fed and have access to an on-site social worker to deal with any personal or emotional issues they might have.
“We have 120 children each day and after the sessions, we serve them a meal,” she says.
“We work closely with The Hague Primary School where the teachers also refer children that are in need of seeing a social worker.
“We work at different schools like Eindhoven Primary and Delft Technical High. There we also run programmes like loss and grief [counselling] and substance abuse.”
Last year the Daily Voice interviewed Wilhemina after she opened her Delft home to feed matrics breakfast before exams.
genevieve.serra@inl.co.za