CAPE TOWN - As Women’s Month drew to a close, businesswoman and founder of Vuya Foundation, Mercia Isaacs, highlighted the importance of early childhood development (ECD)and reflected on the changes women can make to uplift their communities.
Speaking at a Women’s Month event yesterday, Isaacs said that ECD can break the cycle of poverty, empower families and transform society.
“When I turned 70 in April, and I had done some reflection against the backdrop of Covid-19, I realised that I had to do something for women in August. Covid-19 has been a challenging time for all of us, but the Vuya Foundation which I founded in 2009, and whose focus areas are ECD, youth development in the form of bursaries, and social entrepreneurship focusing on women, these has been the cornerstones of our cause,” said Isaacs.
Guest speaker Grace Jansen said the only way South Africa can move forward is if it invest in its youth and that is a responsibility for all.
“I think we need more people like Mercia, because not only is she investing in the development of the children but she’s allowing the children to acquire essential skills that will eventually benefit the community as a whole.
“Mercia could be investing in something else, but to her it’s not about the money, it’s about the care, the love and making sure that these kids have a role model, and I think that is something to highlight. Women are more than just mothers and wives, women are a force to be reckoned with, and the living proof is in the work Mercia is gracefully doing,” said Jansen.
“My take-home message is lessons I learnt over my 40 years in business and which form the basis of us continuing this new trend among our women. My hope is that this will be the start of a new movement among women, where we not only embrace ECD but embrace our young women and cement them in the values that we were taught by our mothers,” said Issacs.
Weekend Argus