"Today a reader, tomorrow a leader." — Margaret Fuller We are delighted to have partnered with Book Dash during lockdown, enabling us to distribute an additional 2000 reading books to children across communities in and around the Western Cape. From the beginning of lockdown (April 2020) up until August 2020 we have distributed 2852 individual reading books to children.The books were a special extra item added to our stimulation packs! Thank you to our new partners. We are extremely grateful and we wish only strength and more opportunities in the future. Frederick Douglass once said, "Once you learn to read, you will be forever free." Thank you for helping us, help children to be ‘forever free’.

Lockdown reality - helping provide stimulation to children in need during lockdown We are passionate about reaching our mission of getting therapists into communities, even during these difficult times. Although we need to protect our team, we can still make a difference through promoting stimulation at home. During the national lockdown in South Africa most families are struggling to put food on the table, so needless to say, stimulation has taken a back seat. We would like to encourage caregivers to invest time in their children by providing them with resources and activity ideas. If you would like to donate, any amount is welcome, and help provide a family with a stimulation pack with activity ideas (for 3-6 year old children) and parent wellness tips, visit https://thelearninginitiative.org/#give Even if

Our Blocks 4 Growth Team has had a very exciting past year. Our M&E consultants summed up our 2019-2020 year as follows: “The B4G program appears to be a catalyst for parents to embrace their critical role in facilitating the learning and development of their child....They are equipped with the knowledge, support and skills to make simple but important adjustments to their environment at home and to  working with their child to reinforce and support learning at home and at school. The many opportunities for observation and engagement of parents and teachers with the B4G implementers drives sustainability and extends its impact to extend to beyond the therapy group into the classroom, the home and wider community. The evaluation of 2019 operations and outcomes proves that the B4G program continued to deliver high

"In the human life cycle the early childhood phase from birth to nine years is considered the most important phase for every human being. Giving children the best start in life means ensuring them good health, proper nutrition and early learning. The well being of children depends on the ability of families to function effectively. Children need to grow up in a nurturing and secure family that can ensure their development, protection, survival and participation in family and social life. From an environmental perspective, it means safe water, basic sanitation, and protection from violence, abuse, exploitation and discrimination. These imperatives work best together and lay the foundation for life. Early childhood development services need to be holistic and should attend to the child’s health, nutrition, development, psychosocial and other needs. Parents, communities, non-governmental

The Community Chest Impumelelo Social Innovations Awards (CCISIA) Programme searches for social innovation in all sectors of development across South Africa, with a specific focus on non-profit organisations, government entities and private sector companies that are addressing the social issues and challenges our country faces. After successfully completing the due diligence review process, an external evaluator conducted a site visit to gain first-hand insight into the work we do on the ground. We were proud of showcasing our work, the little children and their special creche. No-one can leave, feeling untouched by the experience. To top it, we were selected as a finalist for the Awards and had to present our innovation to a panel of judges during the adjudication phase. We got to the office nervous, not knowing what to expect. We

Article from IOL | Weekend Argus The Community Chest regards the provision of free early childhood development programmes (ie, ECD centres for children 0-5) to poor families as fundamental to the development and protection of vulnerable children and to bringing an end to some of the violence against women and children. ECD forms a vital part of the development of every child. We know that children who have access to quality ECD from an early age are mostly better suited to coping with formal schooling and life in general. The recently published report, “Effective Early Childhood Development Programme Options Meeting the Needs of Young South African Children”, reveals that children represent the most vulnerable groups globally, particularly in low and middle-income emerging countries, where poverty and inequality prevail. Children in disadvantaged communities are