“Our dream is for every child to be seen, valued and loved.
Changing a child’s life does not require grand gestures.
It simply asks for your presence and consistent care.”
– Gerda Louw, Project Coordinator, FSCA After School Care Centre
Every weekday afternoon, a minibus makes an important journey through Harrismith, collecting children from the local primary school and nursery and taking them to a place where they are welcomed, nourished, and nurtured.
For these children, the Free State Care in Action (FSCA) After School Care Centre is far more than just an after-school facility; it is their centre of safety and stability in a world often marked by uncertainty, financial hardship, and difficult home circumstances.
Children from Grade RR to Grade 7 attend the centre, many raised by single parents, grandparents or guardians, while others face circumstances that place enormous responsibilities on their young shoulders. Although every family has its own story, they share one common reality: providing for their child’s everyday needs has become increasingly difficult.
Sharing each other’s burdens
For more than 35 years, Free State Care in Action has walked alongside these families, offering practical support, dignity and hope.
What began as a local community initiative has grown into a remarkable example of collective compassion. Local businesses, farmers and community organisations contribute fresh produce, meat, clothing, birthday gifts and professional services. N3 Toll Concession (N3TC), through its Touching Lives programme, has been the project’s principal funder since 2011, helping to ensure that this vital community centre remains operational and sustainable. Over the years, that long-term commitment has encouraged other partners to invest in the project, strengthening the network of support surrounding vulnerable families in Harrismith.
Throughout the year, children receive school uniforms, stationery, school bags and other essentials that enable them to attend school with confidence and dignity. Every second week, their families receive food parcels that are often the source of the most nutritious meals available in their homes.
Where additional needs arise, children also have access to occupational therapy, socio-emotional assessments, eye examinations and spectacles through the support of partner organisations and professional volunteers.
According to Mrs Louw, these practical interventions help make the difference between a child simply coping and beginning to thrive.
“Children who attend our centre arrive at school prepared, confident and ready to participate alongside their peers,” she says. “Something as simple as the correct school uniform or having the stationery they need helps them feel that they belong. These small, but significant changes, are often revealed in unguarded moments and tiny behavioural shifts.
Teachers have watched shy children gradually develop the confidence to participate in classroom activities. Learners who once struggled academically proudly share improved results. Children who initially refused vegetables now ask for second helpings at lunch. Parents and caregivers speak of children who eagerly look forward to every afternoon at the centre because it is a place where they feel safe, accepted and happy.
Behind every success story is a child whose future has become a little brighter through consistent care and encouragement.
The centre’s support extends beyond the children. Parents and caregivers receive guidance and practical assistance as they navigate unemployment, financial hardship and the daily challenges of raising children under difficult circumstances. The support offered helps families remain together during periods of severe strain, when all seems lost.
For teacher Natasha de Bruyn, the After School Care Centre is about much more than helping children with homework.
“We dream of sustaining a safe, loving place where every child feels welcome, accepted and valued. I want every child to know that they matter and that there is someone who believes in them, regardless of where they come from or what they’ve experienced in their short lives.
“My greatest wish is that every child who passes through our after-care centre will one day be able to say: ‘There was someone who believed in me when I couldn’t believe in myself. There was someone who helped me believe that I could become more than my circumstances.
As South Africans mark Mandela Day today, Free State Care in Action reminds us that meaningful change rarely happens in isolation or through a single act, but is built through countless ordinary acts of kindness, repeated every day, by connected and caring communities.
“N3TC is proud to support initiatives such as these that strengthen communities along the N3 Toll Route,” says Thania Dhoogra, chief operating officer of N3TC. “Our Touching Lives partners continuously demonstrate that when people come together with compassion and purpose, hope takes root. With every meal served, school uniform provided, homework assignment completed, child, more resilient communities are created with a better chance to flourish well into the future. These are the acts of service that continue to honour Nelson Mandela’s legacy.”
“There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children.
It is in our hands to create a better world for all who live in it.”
– Nelson Mandela
Your acts of kindness can make a difference
If this story inspires you to make a difference this Mandela Day, Free State Care in Action has a simple wish list for its youngest learners, aged four to six years.
The centre is looking for:
- Educational toys that encourage early learning
- Storybooks and imaginative play resources
- Creative art and craft supplies, including picture cut-outs, stickers, glue sticks modelling clay and clay tools, crayons, colouring pencils and markers (‘kokis’), colouring books, child-safe paint and paintbrushes
- Small blankets or fleece throws to help keep little ones warm during the colder months
“These simple items make a world of difference,” says teacher Ineke McMahon. “They help children develop fine motor skills, creativity, confidence and a love of learning, giving them the best possible start to their school journey. Every donation, no matter how small, helps turn a child’s potential into possibility.”
Help make dreams come true
Send or deliver donations to:
Free State Care in Action After School Care Centre
Office hours: 07:30 – 16:00
Address: 12 Mckechnie Street, Harrismith, 9880
For more information: contact Gerda Louw or Karen Volschenk: 058 622 1580 or 074 470 5889 or email: 1.gerda.louw.22@gmail.com
“What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived.
It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead.”
– Nelson Mandela
