Dear Friends of Golden Sunbeams,
This newsletter is one of the most difficult and emotional we’ve written so far. Our dear friend, artist, and long-time supporter Christiane Klein passed away far too soon two years ago.
Christiane had a special wish: At her funeral, she asked that instead of flowers, donations be made to Golden Sunbeams – for the children who were so dear to her heart.
A year later, her family organised a private auction of many of her works of art. All proceeds went to Golden Sunbeams—with the express wish that Christiane’s legacy lives on.
Thanks to this generous gesture, we can now fulfill Christiane’s wish. The donations will be used to build a new ECD centre – a place that will give many children a future and keep Christiane’s heartfelt wish alive beyond her death.
After a long search, we finally found a suitable project. Building an ECD centre is already a huge challenge – but finding someone who will run it with passion is even more difficult. We had to abandon many of our ideas and approaches. But in the middle of this year, the time had finally come – and from then on, everything moved surprisingly quickly.
This is what the “Free to Grow” ECD centre in the township of Macassar – run by Belinda Meintjies – currently looks like.
Three years ago, she and her husband began to establish a kindergarten in a very modest space. At the beginning of June 2025, Belinda invited us to visit our sponsored child at her school. This was our first contact with the “Free to Grow” ECD centre.
Classes are currently held in a small wooden hut. Although Belinda only looks after around 20 children, space is so limited that she has to temporarily accommodate one of the groups in her own living room.
Belinda showed us her house, where she lives with her husband and two adult children.
The living room and kitchen are located in one room.
Currently, there is only one toilet, which is shared by everyone. There are also three small bedrooms in the rear part of the building.
For us, there are many reasons why this ECD centre has great potential. An important point: the building already belongs to Belinda Meintjies. Furthermore, her property has sufficient space for a potential extension.
There’s still a lot of unused space on the school’s property: in the driveway, where only laundry currently hangs, and at the rear of the building, next to the adult children’s bedrooms. All these areas could be used for future expansion.
For us, however, it’s just as important as the available space to have someone who runs the kindergarten with energy and passion. Belinda absolutely loves her work as a principal. She used to teach at a school, but she consciously decided against a regular income to pursue her true passion.
She is committed to continuous education: Belinda has already attended numerous workshops at our partner organisation Masikhule and regularly trains her team there. This combination of ideal space and passionate leadership convinced us: that we wanted to work with an architect to develop plans for the expansion and extension – for an even greater future for the “Free to Grow” ECD centre.
Once the initial plans were in place, we met with the architect and one of our construction managers at the Free to Grow site to discuss everything on-site. During the discussions, further ideas and adjustments emerged, which were subsequently incorporated into the construction plans.
The area marked in red shows the planned new kindergarten building. The entrance will be half the size in the future. Nevertheless, there will be enough space to create an outdoor play area for the children.
The two small rooms at the back, where Belinda’s adult children currently live, will be enlarged and converted into two new classrooms. The siblings will move to the front area.
The old bathroom will be redesigned to create space for two children’s toilets and a basin. The adjacent storage room will be converted into a second bathroom for use by the family and staff. It will include a shower, a basin, and a toilet.
After we had approved the plans together, we received a cost breakdown for each aspect of the construction from our construction manager. The costs turned out to be higher than originally anticipated, as the entire roof will have to be raised and replaced for the extension. Once we had all the figures, we consulted with the Klein family again and then renegotiated the terms.
We then submitted the building plans to the municipal office and are now eagerly awaiting approval. As soon as this is granted, we can begin.
Some work can be completed without disrupting school operations. Others, such as the renovation of the toilets, can only be completed when the children go on their long school holidays. These holidays begin in early December 2025. We therefore hope to be able to open the new kindergarten in time for the new school year.
Belinda Meintjies can hardly believe her luck. She prayed for many years – and now her dream of building her own ECD centre is about to become a reality.
The new school will initially accommodate 30 children and will be designed to allow for government registration. Once this is approved, Belinda can apply for funding to further expand the ECD centre and give even more children a chance for a better future.
We are delighted to be able to accompany Belinda on this special journey. Her unwavering faith, passion, and dedication will soon come alive within the walls of the new kindergarten. “Free to Grow” will be more than just a building – it will be a place full of laughter, learning, and a bright future. Together with you, we want to make this dream a reality.
As soon as we have any news, we’ll let you know about our construction progress. We are already looking forward to making Christiane’s heartfelt wish come true together with the children, the principal Belinda, and the Klein family – and hopefully to officially inaugurate “Christiane’s Free to Grow” in the new year.
This photo from carefree days was taken in South Africa and shows the two daughters Elena (for left) and Nora (second from left) with Edwin and Christiane Klein (far right in the picture).
We extend our heartfelt thanks to Edwin, Elena, and Nora Klein, as well as to all our supporters and sponsors whose donations have made it possible for Christiane’s heartfelt wish to build this kindergarten to become a reality.
And we are very, very grateful to Christiane for her legacy, which contributes significantly to improving the living conditions of the children and their families here in South Africa.
Best regards
Britta and Claudia