GRAAFF-REINET NEWS - Alfred Kerkvliet, an Australian native who now lives in the Netherlands, recently visited Graaff-Reinet to make a generous donation to the Khanyisa Day Care Centre in uMasizakhe. 

The R29 700 is the second donation Kerkvliet has made to the centre.

The first was in March 2022, when he donated the proceeds from the sale of his book, The Eye of Freedom, which recounts everything he experienced during his very first visit to South Africa. 

During that visit he was taken on a tour of Graaff-Reinet which included an excursion to the Khanyisa Day Care Centre. 

The centre is much more than a typical day care. In addition to its early childhood development programme, it also runs a programme for children with special needs and provides a protective workplace for youth with intellectual disabilities.

“I immediately fell in love with the Khanyisa [centre] and wanted to contribute to their cause,” Kerkvliet says. 

After the first donation was made, he continued his fundraising efforts for the centre. 

Some of the funds for the most recent donation were raised through the popular GoFundMe platform, while the largest portion came directly from his own pocket.

Khanyisa’s principal, Bukelwa Booysen, expressed her gratitude to Kerkvliet. 

“We feel very honoured by his visit,” she said. 

“It is a privilege to have someone of his calibre supporting the centre.” Kerkvliet is determined to continue his charitable initiatives in support of Khanyisa and hopes to return to South Africa soon to make another donation.

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