It takes a village to build early learning that lasts

By Flux Communications

When we talk about South Africa’s education crisis, we often start too late. By the time children reach Grade 4, the gap is already wide. Today, 81% of Grade 4 learners in South Africa cannot read for meaning in any language. The foundations have already been missed.

In rural parts of Limpopo, those foundations are especially fragile. Many early childhood development centres operate in overcrowded spaces with limited resources, unsafe toilet facilities and little access to trained practitioners. Families travel long distances to reach care, if they can reach it at all. Children arrive eager to learn, but the environment is stacked against them.

This is the context in which the Vhula Tindzumulo ECD Centre is being built.

Vhula, meaning “to awaken”, is a response to an urgent need in the Letsitele area to give under-fives a real chance of succeeding at school. The ClemenGold Foundation has launched a campaign to raise R14.8 million to bring this vision to life. Tribal land with long-term Permission to Occupy has been secured and plans are in place for a state-of-the-art ECD centre designed to serve up to 150 children.

What makes Vhula Tindzu powerful is not only what is being built, but how it is coming together.

This project is rooted in partnership. ClemenGold Foundation brings deep commitment to rural early learning. Breadline Africa brings experience in delivering compliant, child-centred infrastructure that lasts. Donors and partners are contributing funding, materials and expertise. Each role matters. Each contribution strengthens the whole.

“It truly takes a village,” says Joreth Duvenhage,  ClemenGold Foundation director. “No single organisation can address the challenges facing rural ECD alone. Vhula Tindzu shows what becomes possible when partners come together around a shared purpose.  This centre will be a beacon of hope in rural Nkambako.  It will serve as a training centre for creche teachers in the area, other adult training and act as a much-needed community hub. ”

The centre will include custom-designed classrooms with natural airflow and child-sized toilet facilities in every room. Outdoor spaces will be enhanced through the planting of indigenous trees for shade and the installation of carefully selected play equipment to support physical development. The centre will be overseen by a qualified ECD practitioner and will create 11 new jobs, with training provided to all staff.

At Breadline Africa, we have seen what happens when infrastructure meets collaboration. “When we build alongside trusted partners, we are not just delivering classrooms,” says Warren Povey, Head of Strategic Partnership at Breadline Africa. “We are creating safe spaces where children can thrive, educators are supported and communities can plan for the future.”

With land secured, plans drawn and some funding committed, Vhula Tindzu is moving from vision to reality with the steel structure and roof currently in progress. For those interested in learning more about the project or exploring how their CSI or philanthropic funding could be meaningfully invested, Warren and Joreth would welcome a conversation.

Because lasting change in early learning is never built alone. It is built together.

For more information about the ClemenGold Foundation and this project and how to participate, visit www.clemengoldfoundation.com or www.breadlineafrica.org