Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) has a significant impact on a child’s later academic performance and economic participation. And yet, two thirds of children eligible for Early Childhood Development programmes (ECD) do not have access to them (UNICEF). This lack of stimulation at a young age, compounded by poverty and malnutrition means that most children entering grade 2 do not know the alphabet, meanwhile 82% of fourth graders cannot read. The lasting impact of this is detrimental as children who did not attend ECD or attended informal ECD rarely catch up with their socially and economically advantaged counterparts, facing lower matric results and higher dropout rates.

On top of this, our ECD centres provide children in poverty nutritionally balanced meals that they otherwise would not have access to.

A recent UNICEF report shows that on leaving education, malnourished children earn up to 20% lower than average wages as adults, culminating in a reduction of a country’s GDP by as much as three per cent. We understand that access to education and proper nutrition are key socio-economic rights that go hand in hand towards empowering children to lift themselves and their families out of poverty.