The idea of Little Paradise came to life in 2013, as the reblocking process of the informal settlement of Flamingo Heights, outside of Cape Town South Africa, left a small but reasonably sized plot of land for the purpose of building a crèche. The building of Little Paradise was complete in December of 2014, with the assistance of the Centre for Childhood Development (CECD), Informal Settlement Network (ISN), Community Organisation Resource Centre (CORC), and Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI).

In February of 2015, the crèche began operating with 26 pre-school age children enrolled. While parental fees provide some income to support crèche operations, the limited income of families living within the settlement undermine the sustainability of this financing approach. The crèche has been unable to pay the salaries or stipends of the initial two teachers and cook. Although there are many children joyful at their opportunity for education, the struggle for operating Little Paradise sustainably is an ongoing effort. Should the provincial government formally register the crèche, subsidies will become available to support day-to-day operations. However, the registration process is complex, time consuming, and slow. This project aimed to assist the governing body of Little Paradise Educare Centre to progress through the registration process.

For more information on the background of Flamingo upgrading visit:
http://sasdialliance.org.za/projects/flamingo-crescent/