The Rocklands Association for Development (RAD), founded back in 2017, does some incredible work for both the environment and the community of our beloved boulder paradise. A visit to their website reveals a long list of ongoing projects, including crag clean ups, the creation of a community hall, fundraising events and kids’ yoga and climbing classes. Their main focus at the moment, however, lies with their latest and greatest project – the construction of an early education creche to bridge a crucial gap for the children in the area.
The newest generation of Rocklands have been thriving since the opening of the crèche over a year ago, but a little more work is needed to keep it flourishing and transform it into a full ECD (Early Childhood Development) centre. Specifically, RAD is wanting to expand the creche operating hours, acquire new educational material and carry out facilitator training.
The end goal of this is to prepare kids for entering primary school by teaching them essential, foundational skills, ultimately helping to support the education system. As RAD explains on this page,” Rocklands is home to several hundred people. There is a local primary school (Elizabeth-fontein) but there are no ECD facilities. This means that by the time most of the Rocklands children walk into the classroom they’ve never held a pencil or cut with a pair of scissors. This reality puts strain on the school’s Foundation Phase teachers.”
Needless to say, it takes many hands and plenty of hard work to keep everything running smoothly, and the creche needs as much support as it can . Every climber who makes a pilgrimage to Rocklands leaves with a full heart and a deep love for the land – if you are able, consider giving back to the local community who call Rocklands their home. Every little bit, no matter how small, can make a real difference.
How You Can Help
RAD has recently set up a PayFast account, making for a quick and easy transaction process. Simply click here, and select your payment method to make a R100 donation towards the operational cost of the creche. Alternatively, you can make a donation via the below details. If you can’t offer financial support, RAD is always looking for volunteers to offer a helping hand – pop an email to info@rocklands.org.za if you want to get involved.
RAD’s Banking Details
Account name: Rocklands Association for Development
Bank: First National Bank
Branch code: 200206 (Clanwilliam)
Account number: 627 773 71396
And, of course, if you are heading to the Rocklands Rally this weekend, you can support RAD by bringing along some cash for some tasty roosterkoek right off the coals on Saturday and Sunday morning.
Thank you for all the work that you do RAD – let’s keep this community growing!
