17
1 - 7 May 2018
Giving children a hand up, not a hand out
T
he Recycle Swop Shop in Zwelihle, an innovative community development project that enriches children’s lives by encouraging them to take initiative and rewarding that effort, celebrated its 15th birthday last week. The joyful celebrations included cake and treats for the children and coincided with a visit by the mobile clinic of the Hermanus Animal Welfare (HAWS). The children who brought their dogs for deworming, vaccinations, tick and flea treatment also received a bag of pet food to take home. The Recycle Swop Shop (RSS) operates once a week from their premises at the Yomelelani ECD Centre in Zwelihle. The concept is simple: the children are encouraged to collect and sort recyclable litter in their neighbourhood and bring it to the collection yard every Wednesday afternoon, where the material is weighed. Each child then receives a ticket bearing points based on the quantities they have collected. From there, they go to the Swop Shop where they can
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purchase items with their points, including essential items such as stationery, toiletries and clothing. Some of the children choose not to spend their points at once, but to rather save up until they have enough to buy something special, such as a bicycle. On their way out, all children receive a nutritional snack, regardless of the amount of recycling material they brought in. A municipal truck collects the recyclable waste every Wednesday and takes it to Walker Bay Recycling. But for the children there’s much more to it than getting a few goodies. Through sorting, counting, calculating, weighing, budgeting, saving and banking points, the children are being introduced to educational processes and valuable life skills that are practiced and reinforced in a practical manner.
This makes the project far more than just charity practice. It provides life skills and opportunities for personal development – with lots of fun being thrown in for good measure! The RSS initiative was established in 2003 and Narina Howard has been running it for the last five years. To continue their work, this non-profit organisation requires the ongoing support of the community. Volunteer a few hours of your time by visiting the RSS and helping out, or donate supplies for the Swop Shop, such as nonperishable food, second-hand and new clothing and shoes, school supplies and toiletries, toys, books – anything a child can use. For more information, call Narina on 082 339 5768.
Wednesday is recycling day for youngsters in Zwelihle. Children are encouraged to bring in any plastic, glass and other recyclables to the Swop Shop to be weighed and sent for recycling. In exchange for bringing in these items, the children earn points to spend in the Swop Shop that has been set up on the premises.
These youngsters make up some of the volunteers that assist at the Swop Shop. This particular group helps to sort the recyclables into separate bags for Walker Bay Recycling. PHOTOS: Taylum Meyer
Children from the Recycle Swop Shop celebrated this community project’s 15th anniversary last week with volunteers Corny Rode (back row on the left), Luzuko Mpalweni (back row second from left), Ninky Matthee (back row second from right), Theo de Meyer (back row on the right) and Narina Howard (second row on the left).
This young boy gives his friend a thumbs up whilst he waits in line for his bag of plastic bottles to be weighed.
Theo de Meyer, founder of the Hou Moed Centre (now Yomelelani ECD) with one of his “adopted grandchildren”.
The children line up eagerly to spend their points earned at the Swop Shop, where Ninky Matthee volunteers her services.