Ceres-based fruit and vegetable producer Dutoit Group has opened an educational facility to cater to the children of farmworkers on the Nooitgedacht farm.
Also read: Little Lambs Centre brings education and empowerment to Imizamo Yethu
Nooitgedacht, the smallest working farm in the Dutoit stable, had an existing daycare centre. However, the need to construct a larger facility to accommodate more children arose over the past year, including a need to provide aftercare for both younger and older school learners.
‘Die Herbergie’ features an extensively renovated hall featuring the daycare and aftercare facilities, as well as a kitchen for nutritious meals. Plans are also underway for a future computer room.
Cape {town} Etc discount: Looking for things to do in the city at half the price? Let these offers inspire you. Get them here.
Situated in the Koue Bokkeveld, Nooitgedacht employs 430 permanent workers and seasonal workers who care for and harvest apples, pears and cherries for the Dutoit Group. The farm also boasts some of the oldest commercial cherry trees in South Africa.
Cherry time sales and the Dutoit Group as a whole, as well as the Waitrose Foundation, Boland Builders and Link Freight and Logistics, all contributed to making this new facility possible.
‘Die Herbergie’ provides a safe and educational space for young children in the morning and afternoons, as well as a spot for older children after school. It also offers an ideal play area for children during cold and rainy weather.
‘For Dutoit, our people are our biggest asset and priority. It is because of their hard work and dedication that quality products reach our customers. We couldn’t be prouder to officially open this facility to care for their children, while they care for our produce, and to give these children a great foundation for their future,’ says Willem Coetzee, CEO of Dutoit Agri.
‘Parents are now able to go to work, knowing that their children and safe and being provided for.’
Staff at the facility also include teachers and a medical officer, who provides healthcare to the workers on the farm via a clinic that is available to them twice a month.
‘Children and their education are of critical importance to our business as they are not only the generation of our ancestors, but also the children of our current generation,’ says Coetzee.
‘Our people should be able to work happily and without worry, knowing that their children are in good hands.’
Explore Cape Town and its surroundings with these incredible deals on cars for under R100 000. Find car listings here.
Also read:
Miss SA visits Cape Town, donating R1m towards early child development
Picture: Supplied
