Metrowind Community Development Program

Key to the development of the Metrowind Van Stadens Wind Farm is the Metrowind Community Development Program (MCDP).
The program is the overarching program developed to address the socio-economic development (SED) and Enterprise Development (EnD) commitments of the wind farm.
The four pillars of the Metrowind Community Development Program, which were identified in the early stages of the development of the wind farm are:

  • Education
  • Conservation of the natural capital of the area
  • Food security through sustainable agriculture
  • Sustainable Enterprise Development within/around the communities

 

MCDP Socio-Economic Development

Through the SED component of the community development program monetary assistance is provided towards initiatives that promote access to the economy by Black People, are in alignment with one or more of the pillars of the MDCP, and whose beneficiaries reside within a 50km radius from the project site.

To View Application Form: Please Click Here

 

MCDP Enterprise Development

Through the EnD component of the community development program monetary assistance is provided towards initiatives that assist or accelerate the development and sustainability of other enterprises, and/or the financial and operational independence of other enterprises, provided that these enterprises are located within a 50km radius of the project site.

To View Application Form: Please Click Here

Food 4 Thought

It is all hands on deck as pupils and teachers at the Van Stadens Reserve School, Yellowwoods Farm School, and St Albans Primary School are actively involved in the maintenance and improvement of the Food gardens at their respective schools under the guidance of Bountiful Grains.

The gardens have been producing enough vegetables, despite limited rainfall, to provide vegetables for the meals prepared at school as well as for vulnerable members within the communities.

The Food 4 Thought programme was initiated in 2016 following a partnership between Metrowind, Bountiful Grains Trust, Bertus de Waal, one of the neighboring farmers, and the Van Stadens Wild Flower Reserve, which resulted in establishment of the Van Stadens Reserve School Nutrition Garden.

The Food 4 Thought programme aims to -

  • Boost the nutritional inputs into the meals that school children receive;
  • Equip the children with the life-long skill of growing their own food; and
  • Support vulnerable members of the community (elderly, sick, disabled etc.).

Two additional gardens, one at Yellowwoods Farm School and one at the St Albans Primary School, has since been established. Each garden will be a partnership between Metrowind, Bountiful Grains Trust, as well as the School Governing Body of each participating school.

Early Childhood Development

The Nomzamo Crèche (in Witteklip) was originally established in the mid-1990’s as a community initiative. Over the years the crèche had periods where it had not been operational due to a lack of funding. In May 2015 Ntombizanda (“Zanda”) Plaatjie re-opened the crèche with the support of Metrowind as part of the Metrowind Community Development Program (MCDP). Zanda, who attended the crèche in the 90’s, understood the benefit of the crèche, and combined with a real passion for education, wanted to create opportunity for the children of the Witteklip community.

Within a few months of the crèche being re-opened children from the Fitch’s Corner and St Albans community also started attending the crèche. At the start of the 2016 school year the crèche was reporting an attendance of 68 children from Witteklip, Fitch’s Corner and St Albans.

The teachers expressed a wish to see the crèche registered as an Early Learning Centre with the Department of Social Development. Metrowind has partnered with Isivuno Training, a registered Public Benefit Organisation (PBO), to assist the crèche with the setup of proper educational and operational processes, and moving them towards registration.

The progress made by the crèche over the past year has been remarkable. Under the guidance of Isivuno team the crèche is being transformed from a facility that merely looked after children during the day to an early learning centre of a high standard. The crèche has introduced an enrolment process, roles and responsibilities for the teachers and caregivers, a structured daily programme, discipline within the classrooms, and educational activities that are laying foundations for future education and learning. The children have been divided into different classes according to age groups in order to enable age appropriate activities and the teachers are continuously being equipped and guided in terms of facilitating class activities. An affordable, yet nutritious menu has also been introduced, and Zanda have embarked on the process of establishing a School Governing Body to ensure governance of the school and the involvement of parents.

To date the crèche has been completely reliant on the funding from Metrowind as only a few parents did pay the R50 monthly fee. The aim, however, is to see the crèche become a self-sustaining organisation that are able to operate with or without the support of the Metrowind funding. All the input to date has been with this in mind, and all the input going forward is working towards it. Besides the continued mentorship and training of the teachers to develop their teaching skills, the next steps are –

  • to see Zanda qualify as an Early Childhood Development (ECD) teacher
  • the registration of the crèche as a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), and to register at Department of Social Developments (which is a legal requirement according to the Children’s act 38 of 2005)
  • equipping the teachers with skills needed to operate and manage the crèche as an NGO, which will include budgeting, preparation of funding applications and reporting.
  • To advance the teachers ability to follow lesson plans that will stimulate the children to develop cognitively, emotionally, socially, physically, morally and spiritually as required by the Departments of Social Development and Education.

The true impact of initiatives like the Nomzamo Crèche is often not evident immediately, but becomes evident through time only. The input into the teachers and the children are obvious, but one should not overlook the opportunities for building into the parents of the children and offer the community developmental opportunities towards, for example, employment, better health and family life.



Training And Transformation Through Sailing

The Redhouse Yacht Club (RYC) runs a training and transformation programme for kids from the Nelson Mandela Bay area (primary and high school) throughout the year.

Sailing is a globally recognised skill, which allows you to travel the world to meet new people and discover new ways. South Africa has a strong tradition of producing world class sailors and sea farers, and with endless access to water through our oceans as well as inland rivers and lakes, there is loads of opportunity to become involved. South Africa also participates in many global events in sailing, such as the Olympics and World class championships.

The sport has many benefits, no gender bias (a wonderful example being Dame Ellen MacArthur), and it allows imperfect bodies to harness the wind as effectively as others. Through sailing kids can gain a myriad of life-skills such as self-confidence, spatial awareness, and stewardship, it also introduces kids to the ocean and can be the first step in unlocking a lifelong career within the ocean economy—be it scientific research, commercial shipping, or yacht building.

Support was given to RYC for training Bash Luncedo, a young sailor from New Brighton, as an instructor, upgrading the training venue and facilities, and to sponsor 10 kids from the 2016 “Learn to Sail” programme, who were rewarded for their hard work, to participate in the 24Hr regatta held in April.

RYC plan is for the programme to become an annual programme with Bash as the instructor.

Equipping To Equip

In April the Walmer, Kleinskool and Uitenhage Work 4a Living Centres were equipped with much needed office equipment which will increase their ability of to impact the lives of unemployed youth throughout Nelson Mandela Bay. The centres are part of the Siya-Sebenza network of skills centres.

The Walmer and Kleinskool centres are existing centres, while the Uitenhage centre is a brand new centre that will make the training accessible to even more individuals.

All three centres offers the Work 4a Living training, while Walmer and Uitenhage also host computer labs. In addition to this Walmer is the base for both the Job Centre, as well as the Eastern Cape arm of JumpStart Programme—the Job Centre serves Work 4a Living graduates throughout Nelson Mandela Bay and aims to link them with employers, while the JumpStart programme aims at equipping low-income students and unemployed youth with job-specific skills, work experience and opportunities.

The equipment will enable social entrepreneurs Nomatshawe Menti (Uitenhage), Lindiwe Mtulandwe (Walmer), and Ziphozihle Xelisilo (Kleinskool) to operate their centres more efficiently and sustainably by cutting down both costs and time delays, and in doing so increase their effectiveness in bringing about meaningful changes in the lives of South African youths.

Supporting Enterprise Development

THE Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber Enterprise Development (ED) Programme is a multifaceted programme combining mentorship and skills training programmes to develop small businesses.

Its key outcome is enabling participants with the understanding of the key elements of being market ready, growing their businesses and creating sustainable jobs while providing participants with supportive and effective mentoring.

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