The Greensleeves Children’s Trust will finally get its sparkling swimming pool months after a contractor — who was paid R97,000 from donated funds — left the job unfinished and vanished.
A good Samaritan, who does not want to be identified, read about the incident in the Daily Dispatch and, being in the pool construction business, raised R30,000 for material and labour, and started on the repairs last Thursday.
The NPO cares for 98 abandoned, abused and orphaned infants and children under the age of 10 on a farm in Brakfontein. This includes the six-week-old baby of a preteen mother.
Greensleeves provides primary education through the Figtree Independent School, which is open to the resident Greensleeves children as well as and private pupils.
What was meant to be a 6m² swimming pool for the children’s home has been a crumbling cement hole since January.
“I’m a mommy hen at the moment ‘because he’s hurt my little chicks — the disappointment in their faces is haunting me at night,” Greensleeves founder Diane Lehy said in February.
But six months later, Lehy is overjoyed to have the project beginning again.
“When the article appeared in the paper, [the donor] came to see me.“It warmed my heart that there are members of the public out there who want to help.“I was very emotional,” Lehy said.
“We purposely built the swimming pool above the dam because water attracts children and this little pool will give us the opportunity to safely teach them how to swim.
“We had a drowning of two children many years ago, which devastated and nearly broke us.”
Lehy said they used to transport the children to a swim school, but at great expense.
“Nona Keat was very kind to teach our children at her swim school, but carting children to town and back is extra expenditure, so in the long run getting our own little pool was more practical.
“We still want to put a boardwalk around the dam for children who can swim, but I don’t really like them going in the dam [for safety reasons] so they are restricted when enjoying water in summer.”
The work of the previous contractor was so poor that Lehy said it was like “starting from scratch”.
“When they came on site, [the good Samaritan] kicked the cement edge with his foot and the whole thing crumbled. The step was also made too deep, so another had to be put in.
“He literally had to smash and redo what the other guy did because it was so thin that the first bit of water would’ve burst the banks.
“This isn’t a quick fix, even though the last contractor said it only needed another two hours of work — which is clearly not true.
“Our good Samaritan’s workmanship is incredible. “We are very grateful they have come on board to help us, just eternally grateful.”
Lehy explained how R30,000 was put together by pool constructors towards the revamp, and stable surplus materials were recycled.
“He said the tiles may not match. I said it could be a patchwork quilt!
“I’m really hoping the pool will be ready for summer. “The children are super, super, super excited.”
Find the Greensleeves Children’s Trust on Facebook for updates. To donate go to: https://www.greensleevesel.wixsite.com
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