Garbage to games

In rural areas with no early childhood development centres, there was clear need for an innovative response. Careworkers at Starfish partner Thandanani in KwaZulu Natal are running workshops for small groups of women in their own homes to create educational toys from recycling and teach them how to use the toys when playing with their children.

The careworkers who rolled out the scheme are proud of how engaged the young caregivers were in the process and the difference it had made to the relationship between the caregivers and their children as well the positive impact it has on their educational development.

Lerato took her daughter to a workshop at Thandanani, ‘it put me in a situation where I could just focus on Lindali and our interaction together. In the class they taught us to make toys from things we having lying around the house, even rubbish. In the beginning Lindali was just holding the toys but then we were shown how we can teach our children the colours and how to put the lids inside the old yoghurt container. I remember showing Lindali how to build and count at the same time. I was amazed how quickly she learnt.”