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Blog

Celebrating Women in Early Childhood Development

Knysna Education Trust has been working with partner organisations to increase the availability of Early Childhood Development facilities, benefitting local women and children.

On the 9th of August 1956, 20,000 women of different ethnicities, backgrounds and social status came together to demand equality. They marched to Pretoria’s Union Buildings in protest against the injustice of the pass laws at the time. Petitioning for a change in policy, they stood silently for thirty minutes, before famously singing: “You strike a woman, you strike a rock.” Women’s Day is a reminder of their bravery, determination, and the sacrifices made for a better future for all women in South Africa.

Each day South African women continue to show strength and resilience in the face of ongoing adversities. One such challenge is the severe lack of affordable childcare within their communities. This has kept many women from being able to enter the job market, leaving them dependent on and sometimes vulnerable to family members that provide for them.

Despite its importance, Early Child Development (ECD) and its impact is vastly undervalued. Many children are missing out on the opportunity to spend time in an enriching environment where they are supported to meet developmental milestones. At the same time, the parents or family members responsible for looking after these children are missing the opportunity to enter the job market.

Together with SmartStart; Rotary International and The Rotary Club of Knysna, Knysna Education Trust (KET) has been working locally to address this challenge. The solution has enabled women to participate in the workforce while creating access for all children irrespective of where they live to access an Early Childhood facility. Using SmartStart’s social franchise model, in 2022 alone these organisations have, through training and the supply of resources, enabled 34 women to open their own small businesses as day mothers. Hosting small groups of up to six children, and equipped with SmartStart’s daily programmes and learning materials, these women have been trained to provide the quality learning experience that every child deserves.

Not only are 135 more children attending an ECD facility, each of these children is also provided with daily meals by ePap. Nutritious food is a key requirement for their brains to work properly. With a tummy full of ePap, these children can better face the challenges that come with learning and growing.

The availability of these services presents a powerful triple effect: children receive essential protection and are encouraged to develop optimally in a safe environment; jobs are created within the ECD sector for women, and moms are now released to enter the local economy.

Knysna Education Trust would like to congratulate the women who have completed the process of starting their own ECD business. We also thank every ECD worker that remains committed to working in the challenging and underfunded childcare sector. The work that these women do is crucial to breaking the current cycle of poverty and seeing the next generation thrive. ECD teachers are entrusted with our most valuable treasures – our children; and need to be remunerated accordingly. KET aims to advocate and campaign for sustainable salaries for ECD teachers locally, provincially, and nationally.

If you plan to open your own ECD facility, please contact Nella Gysman on 044 382-4638. If you are interested in becoming a day mother through SmartStart, please contact 060 937 7523 to register for our next “matching day” on the 18th of August.

The most recent five-day SmartStart training hosted by KET, with 30 attendees.

2 Comments

  • Marielle Renssen

    August 11, 2022 12:39 pm

    Love the work that you do. Absolutely brilliant! Well done, and good luck for your future training. You’re providing a wonderful service to the local community.

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