- Volkswagen Show of Hands volunteer programme comes to the aid of Ububele Early Childhood Centre
- Lives of 65 learners and their families changed by facility upgrade
On Saturday 1 April 2017, Ububele Early Childhood Development Centre (ECD) received a makeover from 130 Volkswagen Group South Africa (VWSA) employees, their friends and families. Ububele Centre looks after 65 children aged between two and six years old in Alexandra Township, 7km from the VWSA offices in Sandton, Johannesburg. Ububele is a Nguni word for kindness and that is exactly what is shown to these children at the centre.
Ububele Centre focusses on improving the emotional development of the children they care for. Research has shown that for a child to develop into a healthy, happy and productive adult, he or she needs physical and emotional care, support and development. That is why Volkswagen supports Ububele in their mission to help children in the two to six year age group grow up into happy, productive adults.
The Volkswagen Show of Hands programme asks VWSA employees to give off their own time to improve the lives of those less fortunate. Last Saturday, Volkswagen employees were able to renovate the crèche to create a conducive learning environment for the children. They did this by brightening up the centre with paint and murals, providing maintenance to the ablution facilities, installing much-needed cupboards and book shelves for the children as well as upgrading and beautifying the play area.
Another project which was completed on Saturday and that will leave a real lasting legacy is the planting of a vegetable and herb garden which will provide the crèche with much needed fresh produce to help with the children’s nutritional needs.
“As a company, we know that investing in early childhood development is the most powerful investment in human capital that a company can make and therefore we continue to invest in centres like Ububele. It is important for us to not only invest the money but to physically be involved in the upgrades and renovations,” said Thomas Schaefer, Chairman and Managing Director: Volkswagen Group South Africa.
The Show of Hands Volunteer Programme is an ongoing initiative under the Volkswagen for Good campaign. The Volkswagen for Good campaign mainly focuses on education and youth development.