Ark Academy ECD Centre

20/08/2026

🧱🏗️ BUILD UPDATE: WE’RE GETTING THERE! ❤️

There’s something incredibly special about seeing the walls of Ark Academy’s future home slowly taking shape. 🥹❤️

When we first started this journey, it was just cleared land, a dream and a whole lot of hope. Today, we have walls going up and rooms beginning to take shape, and every bit of progress brings us one step closer to giving the children of Ark Academy a permanent place to learn, grow and feel at home.

We’re especially grateful to UDE Power for their generous support towards the build, including most recently roofing for two of the rooms. Their contributions are helping us take so many important steps forward in the build. 🙏❤️

As with any community-funded project, progress isn't always as fast or as consistent as we'd like. At the moment, the building is a little stop-and-go, depending on when our builder is available to assist, but we're continuing to work with what we have and, slowly but surely, we are getting there. 🧱✨

And these photos are proof that the dream is becoming something we can actually see. ❤️

There is still a ways to go before this becomes the permanent home we envision for Ark Academy - but every wall, every room, every contribution and every person who believes in what we're building brings us closer!

From EcoBricks to brickwork, from a piece of land to a future home - thank you to everyone who has helped us get this far. 🌱🏫❤️

🎓 Bright futures begin here
🏗️ And we're building them, one brick at a time

📩 To find out how you can support the build, please get in touch with us.

15/08/2026

This Christmas, we’re hoping to make 112 little hearts a little happier. ❤️

At Ark Academy, we care for and support 112 children and young people in Diepsloot (55 in our ECD and 57 in aftercare), and we want every one of them to experience the joy of receiving something that is just for them this Christmas.

We're inviting individuals, families, schools, businesses and community groups to help us put together 112 special Christmas gift boxes. 🎁

We can provide you with age group, gender and clothing/shoe sizing, so you can choose gifts that are just right for them. ❤️

You can pack your shoebox, wrap it, indicate the child's name, and we'll make sure it gets to them in time for Christmas. 🎄

📩 Send us a message if you'd like to take part, and we'll provide you with the details for a child.

112 children. 112 Christmases. Let's make them special. ✨

12/08/2026

ANOTHER VERY SPECIAL THANK YOU TO Power 💛

We are incredibly grateful for another generous contribution from them, towards the materials needed to complete the roofing on two of our four permanent classrooms. 🏗️🧱

Every contribution like this brings us another step closer to getting our children into a safe, permanent learning environment, and we are so grateful to have supporters who continue to believe in what we're building at Ark Academy.

We've been a little quiet lately, but there is a lot happening behind the scenes. We're currently completing a tender that could open up an exciting new opportunity to further empower the Diepsloot community - and we're looking forward to being able to share more about this journey when we can.

For now, we're celebrating every bit of progress, every person who gets involved, and every contribution that helps us move forward. 💛

Thank you, UDE Power , for being part of the Ark journey. We truly appreciate you!

14/07/2026

A new journey begins! 🥋💙

This weekend marked the very first QuanWessels Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy Tribe Martial Arts Foundation class for some of our Ark Academy children (and their moms!), and what an exciting day it was!

Seeing the smiles, enthusiasm, and confidence as they proudly held up their "My First Day" boards reminded us why opportunities like these matter so much! Martial arts is about so much more than learning techniques - it teaches discipline, respect, perseverance, confidence, and self-belief.

We are incredibly grateful to Tribe Martial Arts Foundation & QuanWessels Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy for welcoming our children & moms into the TRIBE family and investing in their growth, both on and off the mat.

We can't wait to watch each of these young champions grow in confidence and discover what they're capable of. Here's to the beginning of an incredible journey! 💛

Also safe to say there were a few moms discovering muscles they didn't know they had! 😂 But despite the sore bodies, everyone couldn't stop talking about the class and looking forward to more! That's exactly the kind of excitement we love to see. Here's to many more classes, and perhaps one day seeing some of our own Ark families become martial arts instructors themselves. 💛

30/06/2026

12,000 bricks. One INCREDIBLE act of generosity. 💛🧱

Today we would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to Roma Bricks for their extraordinary donation of 12,000 bricks to Ark Academy.

This donation is so much more than building materials!! These bricks will become the walls of our permanent classrooms, a safe, secure place where children can learn, grow, and thrive for many years to come.

Every brick brings us one step closer to creating a permanent home for Ark Academy and achieving our vision of providing a quality learning environment for the children and families we serve.

We are incredibly grateful for your generosity, your kindness, and your belief in what we're building. Thank you for investing in the future of our children and our community.

09/06/2026

A heartfelt thank you to Africa Tanks for their generous donation of a water tank to Ark Academy. 💧💛

As we continue building our permanent home, we're also laying the foundations for a vegetable garden that will help support the children and families in our community.

This water tank will allow us to collect and store rainwater, creating a more sustainable way to maintain the garden and helping us make the most of every drop.

What may seem like a simple donation today will have a lasting impact for years to come - supporting food security, sustainability, and the growth of our community.

Thank you, Africa Tanks, for investing in the future of Ark Academy and helping us turn this vision into reality. 🌱✨

06/06/2026

We would like to extend another heartfelt thank you to Power for their incredible generosity in donating 2,700 bricks, valued at approximately R5,000, to the Ark Academy build. 🧱💛

This donation will help us continue building toward the permanent classrooms our children so desperately need, bringing us one step closer to creating a safe, compliant learning environment for the families we serve.

What makes this gift even more meaningful is that it follows several other acts of kindness from UDE Power, including their donation of blankets for our children and cement for the build. Your continued support is helping turn a dream into a reality.

Thank you for believing in Ark Academy and for investing in the future of our children. We are deeply grateful for your partnership and generosity. ✨

04/06/2026

We are incredibly grateful to be welcomed into the TRIBE family. 💙🥋

At Ark Academy, we see every day how important it is for children and their caregivers to have access to safe spaces, positive role models, and opportunities for growth. That's why we're so excited to be partnering with an organisation whose mission aligns so closely with our own.

Thank you to TRIBE Martial Arts Foundation for opening your doors to the mothers and children of Ark Academy and for investing in stronger families, empowered communities, and brighter futures.

We look forward to this journey together. 💛✨

As we welcome the mothers and children from Ark Academy ECD Centre, we are reminded why TRIBE exists.

Our mission is simple: to empower women and children through martial arts, mentorship, education, and community support. Every participant who joins our programme is a step closer to building stronger families and safer communities.

Welcome to the TRIBE Family. 💙🥋

Invest in impact. Partner with TRIBE Martial Arts Foundation to empower women, uplift youth, and strengthen communities through sustainable development programmes.

28/05/2026

A heartfelt thank you to Tribe Martial Arts Foundation & QuanWessels Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy for their generous donation of items to support Ark Academy’s fundraising efforts 💛

Every contribution helps us continue building toward a better future for our children, whether through direct support, fundraising opportunities, or helping us meet the day-to-day needs of the school.

We are so grateful for your kindness and willingness to stand alongside our community in such a meaningful way ✨

26/05/2026

A quick and transparent update on the Ark Academy build 💛

We’ve now received a quote for the next batch of bricks needed to continue construction, totaling just under R5,000 incl. VAT. These bricks will help us keep momentum going and move the build forward again. 🧱✨

We’re sharing the supplier invoice so our community can see exactly what is needed and where support is going. Every contribution - no matter the size - helps bring us closer to completing a safe, permanent learning space for our children.

Thank you for continuing to walk this journey with us 💛