The overall goal of our project was to promote community driven opportunities for early childhood development throughout Flamingo Crescent Informal Settlement. In order to achieve this, we focused on the development and construction of a crèche and recreational area in the spaces that the community and partners had opened up for these purposes during reblocking. Below are detailed descriptions further outlining the outcomes of our project. These outcomes are  organized into four sections: crèche, recreational area, fundraising and policy, and reflection.

Crèche Outcomes:

Exterior View of the Little Paradise Crèche

Collaboration

The design and construction of a crèche for Flamingo Crescent was one of the largest and most complex outcomes of our project. This process included collaborating with community members and partners to create a design for the crèche that was both feasible and appeased all party’s interests. In order to do so, we hosted numerous meetings with the different stakeholders to evaluate the design details. These realistic discussions resulted in the agreeance on a one-story building and allowed the design process to move forward.

Design and Construction

Once a one-story building was decided on, we were able to move forward with the design of the crèche. This process proved to be more complicated than originally planned for. Working with a tight time frame, the construction of the crèche had to begin before the design was completely finalized. This simultaneous design and construction process proved to be incredibly challenging and required more involvement in the actual building process from the WPI team than originally anticipated. However, by working extensively to facilitate both of these processes, the WPI team was able to   produce finalized  architectural and construction designs with the assistance of CORC. Based on these designs, we developed a detailed Bill of Quantities (BOQ) to keep track of all expenses and materials used that was adapted throughout the construction process. In order to make this process a model for other informal settlements to utilize in future upgrading processes, we developed a manual for How to Develop and Operate a Crèche. This document is a detailed outline of the process containing eight sections on partners, funding, the interactive design, budgeting, the construction process, creating an environment suitable for children, registration, and preparing the community.

Establishing a Steering Committee

In order to ensure the crèche operates properly, the community established a steering committee to best represent their ideas and interests. This committee included a governing body, teachers, and cooks. Elections were held to select a Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, Treasurer, Secretary, and additional General Body Members. The governing body worked alongside the CECD to begin the registration process to ensure the crèche would receive government funding after the first operational year. In addition to registration, training the future teachers was a vital component for the operation of the crèche. A meeting was held between the steering committee and CECD to discuss this training process and the teachers are scheduled to receive training at the start of the new school year (January 2015). For further information on the registration process and development of a steering committee, see the How to Develop and Operate a Crèche guide.

Recreational Area Outcomes:

Flamingo Crescent Play Park

Designed and Built a Recreational Area

Another component of our project was to design and construct a recreational area that could be utilized by all members of the community. Prior to our arrival in Cape Town, we put together a Community Recreational Area Catalog of potential structures so we could gather community input on what they wished to be included in the space. The catalog includes images of each component paired with a detailed overview of the materials needed and construction process. We also developed a Playground Design on solidworks and a Playground Bill of Quantities. We adapted both of these documents throughout the project to ensure they reflected the final design of the recreational area. These documents allowed us to work with the community to ensure the overall design reflected not only their desires but enhanced their preexisting assets as well.

While in Flamingo Crescent we adapted the design of the recreational area to best make use of the local materials and assets. Local businesses were consulted to develop custom components to secure structures to ensure the longevity of the area. Community ownership was generated for the area by involving community members in the design and build process, and through beatification activities with the children. Through their involvement community members grew into voluntary caretakers of the new space.

Fundraising & Policy Outcomes:

Fundraising

In addition to the physical aspects of our project, another major component was finding funding for both the construction of the crèche and the first year of operation. Our sponsors, The Centre for Early Childhood Development (CECD) and Community Organisation Resource Centre (CORC) funded the majority of the crèche construction expenses. In addition, the WPI Cape Town Project Centre funded a portion of the playground costs. However, the remaining had to be outsourced. For approaching possible donors, we created a Brochure and Project Information Packet explaining the improvements Flamingo has undergone up to date and the goals of our project. In order to fund the first year of operation we developed a Sponsor the Crèche for a Month Information and Calendar Packet where donors could choose a month out of the year to cover any operational expenses. By approaching local organizations with these documents, the steering committee members got the opportunity to learn how to pitch their project and ask for funding. The primary intent of these additional fundraising activities was to facilitate the board’s growth and leave behind the necessary tools for all partners to continue fundraising after our departure.

Renumbering of Shacks

Within the first few weeks of arrival in the community, we assisted the City of Cape Town in renumbering the shacks and naming the streets to aid in future census data, postage delivery, and identification. We began by walking door to door with community members to compile a list of all the old house numbers. From there, a system was designed to renumber the houses based on the street. In order to properly document this, we created an excel sheet listing each shack with it’s old and new numbers categorized by street as well as a community layout diagram with the new numbers. This activity introduced us to the community and allowed us to understand their thoughts and attitudes towards the reblocking process as a whole. Although this was a small activity in comparison with the rest of our project outcomes, designating specific addresses to each home signified official approval, a concept that is often absent throughout informal settlements.

One of the Community Members, Elizabeth, Assisting in the Renumbering Process

Reflection Outcomes:

Process Narrative

As part of our documenting process we recorded our day-to-day activities in the form of scenes. These scenes allowed us to record actions that were significant to our project process and reflect on their impact to our work. By arranging these scenes into acts, they serve as reference for future project work in Flamingo and other informal settlements.

Shared Action Learning Certificates

In order to acknowledge the efforts of the community members throughout the project, we developed Shared Action Learning Certificates. These certificates were personalized to reflect each individuals contributions to the project and were laminated and presented to them on our last day of fieldwork. Although a small gesture, it showed the community our appreciation of all the help they have provided us with throughout our time here. We also created an Acknowledgement Plaque to be placed on the wall in the crèche to show appreciation to all of the partners, sponsors, and community.

Wrap Up Video for Community Members and Partners

Before we made our final departure from the informal settlement we wanted to show the progress that had been made througout our stay and look back on all the fun times that we had. We made this video to leave with the community to reflect how much can be done in a short time if you put in the effort.