Hope restored for Alex’s future
ALEXANDRA - The Spur Foundation and Asha Trust restore hope for Alex's future through crèches.
A private-public partnership, between Alex crèches, NPO Asha Trust and the Spur Foundation, is restoring hope for better education in the township.
The partnership was formed to mentor crèches on organisational management and operational issues including finances, administration, compliance with legislation, and to provide vocational support to teachers and crèche owners.
A gathering took place at Enjalweni Day Care Centre in Tsutsumani to celebrate the initiative’s success which, three years ago, started with 10 crèches that completed the training programme.
The foundation’s Ronel van Dijk said the event highlighted the significance of the relationship of government, NPOs and corporates in securing the nation’s future through the empowerment of crèches.
“We all play different but complementary roles to fulfil the belief that investing in early childhood development provides greater returns to society than any other form of human capital investment,” Van Dijk said.
“Research on crèches shows the importance of holistic, age appropriate learning centres and the need for health and nutrition to children’s physical, intellectual, emotional and social development – especially within the first 1 000 days of the child’s life.”
She said the partnership’s current direct beneficiaries were 10 trained female operators of home-based crèches who have enrolled 417 children and contributed to employment creation by engaging 40 other women. She added that this provided the children, parents, guardians and community with lasting improvements to their learning, and teaching environment.
“Most significantly, the crèches are now sustainable small businesses that will serve as an ongoing resource within the community and have also been integrated into the local government system.”
Dr Tshepo Motsepe of Asha Trust lauded the partnership and said it reinforced the importance of providing correct pre-school education and nutrition for the development of children. She added that the support had transformed the quality of nutrition and care for more than 850 children since it started, helped crèche owners become economically active, and gave them skills to make their centres sustainable small businesses.
“This had led to 10 more centres being enrolled for capacity development with mentoring received from the initial beneficiaries,” she said.
Details: Angie Richardson 083 397 2512.
