Shine by Hope Day Care Centre and Pre-School

The Shine by Hope Day Care Centre and Pre-School is in Katlehong, a township south of Johannesburg, South Africa. This centre was established in 2011 by Portia Diboke, a 42-year-old mother of 4 who had a passion for people, especially the elderly and applied for a grant to create a safe environment for them in the community. Here, she cooked for them and did some activities with them. Many of the elderly brought their grandkids with them, and soon, the number of kiddies at the centre increased. These kids were left behind by parents who barely cared for them.

That’s when Portia also saw the need to focus on these kids' needs. She started developing activities and paid more attention to them. The demand for a creche grew, and she enrolled for her NQF L5 Diploma in ECD from 2014 to 2016. The centre was officially registered in 2016 with the Department of Social Development, from whom they received a small donation that assisted with the centre's operation. As time passed, the school grew and became a paying-fee day centre and preschool. Currently, the school has Sixty-nine kids from babies to 6 years. 

Most of the parents do not work and get a government grant. They pay the centre whatever amount they can afford. She needs to pay the eight people who assist her at the school with this money. She is the only one receiving a salary from the Department of Education. Portia believes you can only shine if you have hope; therefore, the centre's name is Shine by Hope.

As part of Macmillan Education’s 180-Year Giving Back initiative, we decided to help this centre ‘shine.’ The initial idea was to revamp the classrooms, but the first item on their wish list was a new look for the building outside. They wanted us to start with the outside to set the stage for a positive and vibrant learning environment. The building was indeed very worn and dull. 

The work was done in phases, with the project's highlight on Saturday, 17 September, when 25 volunteers from Macmillan Education showed their artistic skills and created a world of colour.  It was a memorable day indeed, even with the scorching 34-degree weather. Imagine the excitement and joy the kids must have felt on Monday, seeing their surroundings transformed into a colourful haven. But that is not all! For the past week, the centre has been inundated with parents who want to enrol their kids for 2024.

The new look of the building indeed made a good impression!