Cape Town - In support of Youth Month and the upcoming Mandela Day, the Do More Foundation has launched a national campaign to acknowledge the contributions made by the Early Childhood Development (ECD) workforce in communities and the role they play in the lives of young children.
Do More Foundation communications specialist Cara Goschen said they take teams out across the country to visit ECD centres every year for Mandela Day to show how important and appreciated these centres and practitioners were to society.
“The role of early childhood development and the workforce that it relies on is often overlooked, which is why we push for companies and individuals to invest in ECD workforce and centres in our communities with this campaign for Mandela Day,” said Goschen.
The foundation calls on individuals and businesses to celebrate the ECD workforce during their annual Mandela Day campaign by getting involved in the various ways the foundation has come up with to help the ECD workforce and show these unsung heroes appreciation.
These include writing in messages of hope to the ECD workforce on the foundation’s FaceBook page (to be shared directly with the principals and practitioners working in communities), making a monetary contribution, or donating products and vouchers towards the gratitude gift boxes being delivered to ECD practitioners and principals across South Africa.
“Despite the hardship they face, these resilient, unsung heroes continue to provide a range of essential services to young children including early learning, safety, nutritional support through daily meals and access to social services.
“They are responsible for helping nurture the early years of a child’s life when children acquire concepts, skills and attitudes that lay the foundation for lifelong learning.”
Young Child Portfolio lead Jabu Mthembu-Dlamini said, “Madiba believed education to be the most powerful weapon to change the world. What better time to celebrate these unsung heroes who champion the education of young children than on Mandela Day”.