Henna Preschool – Huntington Village

Sponsored by: Lion Sands, Mpumalanga

Henna Preschool was More Community Foundation’s first project, which commenced in 2002. Over the two decades to follow, our relationship with the school has fostered a positive relationship with the community, assisting us with the successful launch of other projects in Huntington Village. The school currently has a total of 11 permanent staff members, including teachers, cooks, cleaners, and a security guard. It too is in the process of moving across to the Department of Education. Enrolment on average included approximately 140 learners. In 2019, the New Beginnings Daycare project (which provided support to young mothers for their babies and toddlers for over 14 years) was moved to Henna Preschool.

NEEDS: New toilets for learners, new classroom windows, a new ceiling for two classrooms and roof repairs

PROGRESS: We recently introduced a new structure at the school which we conceptualized as a Happy Circle. The name was given because of its purpose for the school. The children do their morning ring at the circle, we welcome guests to the school here during their community experiences and use it to share all stories of our work with the school. It has also become a meeting area for the school leadership and their engagements. In addition, it has a sand pit that allows children to freely play during their break times.

We have installed a shade net big enough to cover the whole designated play area for the kids. It is big enough to also cover the jungle gym and protect the children from the harmful sunlight that gets extremely hot in the area.

We are invested in the hygiene and safety of the children, and due to Henna being our oldest project. We replaced the old toilets with new ones for the school so that the children have easy access on their toilet break.