In January, we reported on the great commitment of BILD hilft e.V. “Ein Herz für Kinder”, which has pledged its support for the construction of a mini-campus in Bloempoort. (Read more here ). And on October 15, the time had already come: the gates were opened!
The opening of this facility, which includes a feeding station, a pre-school facility, a chill-hub house and a water supply facility, was celebrated with a big party and many guests and, of course, the locals.
Bloempoort is located a few kilometers away from Elandsdoorn, where Hugo Tempelman opened the first feeding station and a preschool more than 15 years ago. What this step has achieved in terms of development is exemplary: by rural South African standards, Elandsdoorn has developed into a thriving community in this time. Water and electricity supply enabled the people who lived there to build and develop infrastructure. There is now a shopping mall. Children can walk short distances to school, fetching water is no longer a day-long task and people can concentrate on other things, such as going to work.
This can be found in the growing community, not least with Hugo Tempelman, whose extensive developments not only create infrastructural projects, but above all open up social and economic opportunities. The opening of the Chill Hub house in Elandsdoorn in 2013 gives young people a place to stay after school. The children in Elandsdoorn receive all-round care and have thus managed to get them off the streets and away from a lack of prospects. Leisure activities such as sporting activities, further education opportunities such as computer courses or the provision of social group structures such as the Ndlovu Youth Choir are excellent and effective ways of giving young people in Elandsdoorn and the surrounding area real prospects for the future.
One great success, for example, is that there have been no teenage pregnancies among the choir members since it was founded and all of them have graduated so far. This is not a matter of course (read our report on this ).
Attempts are now being made to build on this success in Bloompoert. Around 20,000 people live widely scattered in this area. Here in the middle of nowhere on vast grasslands, Hugo Tempelman is realizing his vision of a sustainable future for the people, especially the children, in this area. Where the first boreholes were drilled in January of this year to secure the basis for all growth – water – there is now a solid, brick-built, clean facility.
Within a very short space of time, a campus has been built that makes life easier for the people and especially the children. It provides the people in the area with the most basic necessities: water and electricity. This secures a future for the people, especially the children, who now receive education and nutritional support on site. In Elandsdoorn, there are large vegetable gardens for self-sufficiency, and this is something they also want to make possible in Bloompoert. The fact that Hugo Tempelman was able to realize his idea so quickly is mainly thanks to the association BILD hilft e.V. “Ein Herz für Kinder”, which provided financial support quickly and unbureaucratically. But we must also emphasize the personal commitment: The planning and implementation, from the construction drawing to the purchase of the building materials to the actual construction, was the responsibility of the client himself. The experience from Elandsdoorn has shown that projects in South Africa can be implemented most quickly and effectively if you make an effort yourself. Hugo built everything on his own initiative with the help of local employees. This killed two birds with one stone: the client was always very close to the action and the local people were given work directly. This form of social aid, where people from the community are employed and supported, is the most sustainable way of helping people to help themselves and is the credo of Hugo Tempelman and his Ndlovu Care Group.
Of course, a project like this cannot be implemented without the consent of the local population. The tribal chiefs were asked for their permission and then took part in the opening ceremony.
The women from the community cooked for all the guests, more than 500 people were there and were served the traditional corn porridge and chicken pieces from large pots.
The supporters of the project: Susanne Asbeck, Judith Dommermuth – Chairman of BILD hilft e.V “Ein Herz für Kinder”, Helge Sasse – Deputy Chairman of the Hugo Tempelman Foundation and Vivi Eickelberg – Chairman of the Hugo Tempelman Foundation, Jan Talboom – Deputy Chairman of the Tjommie Foundation were on site for the ceremony.
Hugo gave a very vivid speech at the opening about the purpose and aim of the newly created facility.
Vivi Eickelberg and Helge Sasse opened the campus nutrition station as representatives of the Hugo Tempelman Foundation.
Judith Dommermuth, board member of BILD hilft e.V. “Ein Herz für Kinder” opened the Chill-Hub-House.
She said: “It was a really, really great experience and we not only got to know great people with you all, but also saw an unbelievably great project that could not have been described in words!”
To symbolically secure the future of the campus, all sponsor representatives planted trees in front of the buildings.
Of course, the children were not to be missed:
Not only the Ndlovu Youth Choir performed.
Girls from the community danced traditional dances.
Even the youngest children, who will use the preschool in the future, had rehearsed something.
It was a day with a full program:
All the visitors had a lot of fun and are looking forward to all the developments in Bloempoort.
