Who We Are
Early learning with inclusion at heart.
Hlumelo Inclusive Educare Centre and Aftercare is a community-based early childhood and after-school care centre committed to creating a safe, welcoming and inclusive environment for children.
Our organisation was founded by Phumeza Booi-Welisa, whose personal experience with her autistic son, Hlumelo, inspired the establishment of the centre.
Phumeza understood the challenges faced by families when children with autism are not easily accepted by mainstream educare centres. Rather than allowing these challenges to remain a barrier for other families, she turned her experience into a mission.
We Believe That:
Our Story
A mother's experience became a mission for Inclusion
The story of Hlumelo Inclusive Educare Centre begins with a mother and her son.
Our founder, Phumeza Booi-Welisa, experienced the challenges of finding an educare centre that would accept and properly accommodate her autistic son, Hlumelo. The experience opened her eyes to a much bigger challenge within the community: many children with autism struggle to find safe and inclusive spaces where they can be understood and supported.
Phumeza decided that something needed to change. She left her job and went to False Bay College to study Early Childhood Development, then came back and established Hlumelo Inclusive Educare Centre to create the kind of environment she wished her son could have easily accessed, a place where children with autism could be welcomed, understood and cared for.
Although Hlumelo has since passed away, his legacy continues through the work of the centre. His story has become part of our purpose. Today, Hlumelo welcomes children with autism as well as children from the broader community. Parents have approached the centre asking for their children to be welcomed into the same safe and nurturing environment.
The centre has also established an Aftercare Programme for primary school children, extending its commitment to providing safe spaces for children beyond the early learning years.