Community Buildings

Day Care Center – In 2001, Masi Corp partnered with Doreen Zanyiwe and built the Ikhaya Labantwana Creche to transform a child care center run out of a one-room shack into a spacious, well-lit, two story facility. The creche employs eight people and currently accommodates 82 children between the ages of 2 and 5. Child care is an ongoing challenge in Masiphumelele as many parents (often single mothers) have no one to care for their young children when they travel long distances to work or, in many cases, look for work in Cape Town and the surrounding suburbs.

Youth Center (see left) – In 2001, Masi Corp partnered with the Sosebenza Youth Group to build the Masiphumelele Youth Center. Strategically located at the entrance to the township, the Center shares its large lot with a small bike business, an environmental initiative, and a future sewing center. Starting with homemade cement blocks, the Youth Center was built by a local builder, members of the youth organization and a team of volunteers from America and Europe. The building can be rented by anyone in the community for meetings and special events.

Library (see above)– In 2003, Masi Corp built a 1200 square foot library in the center of Masiphumelele, easily accessible from the Ukhanyo Elementary School and all corners of the township. As with the Youth Center and the Day Care Center, the building was constructed using a combination of local labor and volunteers from America and Europe. Established as an extension of the Fish Hoek Library, the library has benefited from the tutelage of a team of experienced librarians who have trained three Masiphumelele women to run the library during its open hours on weekday afternoons. In early 2005, a two-story extension was built to the library to provide more space for students to browse and do their homework.


	Ongoing Support:

	Ukhanyo School “Thinking Room” - In 2004, Masi Corp built a 400 square foot, two room building on the grounds of the Ukhanyo School. The larger room is the “Thinking Room” used for volunteers to work with talented 6th and 12th graders to improve their ability to analyze words and ideas. The smaller room is an office for Nceba, the sports teacher, with shelves to store athletic equipment.

In addition to building physical spaces, Masi Corp has taken a number of steps to strengthen the programs that call these buildings home.
To ensure a level of financial security, Masi Corp. has created a small endowment for the Ikhaya Labantwana Creche, allowing Doreen to apply the interest income towards operating expenses.
Through Masi Corp, many volunteers from surrounding towns have found their way to Doreen’s creche to help with the children, provide food and clothing, and to take on bookkeeping and other administrative duties.
Through Masi Corp, over 7000 books have been donated to the Masiphumelele library by individuals and libraries in the United States.
Introduced to the community by Masi Corp, volunteers from South Africa and America are spending time in the library teaching children chess, reading books aloud, or helping with cataloguing and other administrative duties.

“When John asked me what I wanted for my creche I told him “I want a proper building ” And now I have it. And the children are warm and dry and well-cared for all year.” - Doreen, creche director




	Doreen Zanyiwe was providing day care for 32 babies




She wanted a building with inside plumbing and cement walls to survive shack fires




		Now she cares for 82 children