About Us

With the promise of a small donation from a benefactor and support from the parish, a holiday programme for children between 2 and 16 years was planned under the leadership of Ricardo Cupido, a parishioner and experienced youth worker. Friends and colleagues of Fr Wim Lindeque who heard about the project contributed generously, and the children received two meals and a snack for the full 6 weeks. They were also entertained and supervised by members of the community, including some of the youth from the parish.

Subsequently, an after-school care centre was initiated, building on the holiday programme. Ricardo Cupido was employed to run the Centre, and community members were engaged as facilitators. Assisted by the expertise and support of the Amy Biehl Foundation, the programme became well-established, and the number of children grew to around 120 per day. After a year the partnership between the Amy Biehl Foundation and the Manenberg Catholic Church came to an end because of differing priorities and the very specific needs of the children of Manenberg. The Centre started operating as a unit of its own on 2 February 2012 and was registered as Non-Profit-Organisation on 10 May 2013. Currently (2025), about 100 children are enlisted in the programme.