Research has shown that early intervention during this critical growth period can transform a child’s future, often breaking the cycle of poverty. In order to register for government-sponsored funding in South Africa, communities need to provide the infrastructure for crèches and ECD centres themselves, despite the project being a political priority.
Africa Foundation, and the rural communities with whom we work, support this initiative wholeheartedly, assisting with the construction of educational facilities in impoverished areas where children need these interventions the most. In Tanzania, where one year of pre-primary education is mandatory, Africa Foundation is responding to calls for help in setting up quality pre-primary classes and spreading this life-shaping programme. The beauty of our involvement with these life-shaping ECD programmes is that they expand our primary, secondary and tertiary education support to include pre-school learners, growing these seeds of the future.