Family Community Motivators
The Family Community Motivator Programme continues to function in different informal settlements around Bethlehem. 4 practitioners work on this programme, each one taking care of 10 different families whom they visit once or twice a week, playing with the children and encouraging families to send them to the Mobile Toy Library when it visits their area.
We plan to extend this programme to Qwa Qwa as soon as funds are available
Mobile Toy Libraries
One of our best known programmes is the outreach via Mobile Toy Libraries. These fully equipped trucks travel to various places around the region, on to farms, and informal settlements to find children who are not enrolled for any kind of daycare.
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The trainers set up their mobile classrooms under gazebos and teach, play with and the children, while also interacting with their parents. These workshops are conducted on a regular basis
100+
children
are reached by the Mobile Toy Libraries per week.
ECD Practitioners training
We offer an entry-level qualification for those wanting to enter the field of Education, Training and Development, specifically in the area of Eerly Childhood Development.
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Those receiving this qualification will learn how to facilitate the all-round development of young children in a manner that is sensitive to culture and individual needs and will work in a variety of contexts from schools to homes and ECD centres.
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By the end of the course, our learners should be able to
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Plan and prepare for Early Childhood Development.
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Facilitate and monitor the developmenet of babies, toddlers and young children.
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Provide care and support to babies, toddlers and young children and guide their caregivers.
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This qualification will provide a means of formal recognition for those who are already practicing in the field, but without qualifications, as well as those just entering the field. It will also provide a basis for further professional development for those who have had limited access to career development.
Slabberts ECD Centre
In the village of Slabberts, a few kilometers outside of Bethlehem, Tshepang Educare Trust has been busy training teachers and building a daycare center that is changing lives for the families who live there and work at the neighbouring Denmar dairy farm.
It’s a beautiful part of the country and the village is quiet and picturesque, despite the obvious hardships of living without infrastructure like electricity and plumbing.
In this community, there are approximately twenty young children who have no formal childcare. Tshepang Educare Trust began visiting the village once or twice a week in late 2017, bringing our mobile toy library equipped with educational toys, books and food for the children.
The program was an immediate success and we could see the community was hungry for more interventions, so we decided that, as a training institution, Tshepang would empower some of the mothers to become teachers and early-childhood practitioners. “We don’t only want to give people services, we want to give them the skills so that they can one day take over and educate their children themselves,’ explains Judy Andrew, the Director of Tshepang.
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At the same time that the training of the teachers began, Tshepang identified a rundown, abandoned building in the village that could function as a daycare center. It was completely dilapidated, and the project was daunting but, together with the community, we started the slow process of fixing it up. Denmar Dairies were very involved in this whole initiative and they decided that they would start a fundraising drive which involved a golf day, in order to raise money for the center.
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The fundraising was a big success and the team got down to work - cleaning, painting, repairing, putting up fences, carpeting and much, much more. The results have been a real game-changer for the community, and they are only going to get better from here. The center was formally launched in early October and we project that the building will be completed in the new year.
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For the first time, there is a community center and a warm, safe place in the village that the children can walk to, receive the right nutrition and stimulation to set them on the path to a brighter future. ​We have also created an outdoor area with a jungle gym and other toys to play with when the weather is good. One of the most gratifying aspects of the project is that the parents are willing and able to make a monthly contribution to their children’s education. ​This is not a common occurrence in underprivileged communities, but it reflects how important this project is to the people of Slabberts.
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By training teachers and offering facilities, and with the support of Denmar Dairy, real progress is being made. Of course there is still a lot of work to do, but this project has been a real success for the Tshepang team, and we are very grateful for everyone who has gotten involved so far and contributed their time and money to this worthy cause.