Support 100 Children attend ECD Centre in S.Africa

I arrived at Siyakhula, our school, today and the sun was shining, the classrooms were almost full, and I couldn’t stop smiling. It’s moments like this that remind me why we do what we do. Our little school is buzzing with energy, laughter, and curiosity and every single day, I feel so grateful to be part of this journey.

Since our last update, our family has grown to 46 children, and we’re excitedly preparing to introduce a full Grade R class in the new year. Already, we have four new applications for 2026, and there are four more little ones from single-parent households waiting for scholarships so they can join us too, i really hope we can rise the funds so they join us too. These children are eager, bright, and full of potential and with your support, we can open the doors for them.

This October, we’re welcoming volunteers from Action Change and Murph Foundation in the USA. They’ll be helping us improve security and facilities, which is urgently needed after multiple break-ins. Our plans include:

• Fixing and replacing the fence with our neighbor

• Installing security bars on all external windows and gates on every external door

• Replacing metal door handles with plastic to deter theft

• Upgrading taps and pipes to rubber/plastic materials

• Purchasing a secure safe and stronger gate access lock

Even with volunteers ready to help, we need funds this month to purchase the materials. Every contribution will make a real difference in keeping our children and staff safe and these volunteers are doing such an amazing job sharing the fundraisers and helping some funds come in, we're still got a little way to go but it's looking more and more possible each day and for this I am really happy! 

On top of this, we’ve had some unexpected water bills that have added financial strain, and we’re also planning to paint the third upstairs classroom and equip it with tables, chairs, and learning essentials. It’s a lot to manage but seeing the children thrive makes it all worth it and we thank our monthly donors and supporters that help us continue our work. We really do love the support from every single amazing person out there! 

Siyakhula is a place of joy, learning, and hope. Every laugh in the playground, every hand raised in class, every small success, it all reminds me that your support matters. Together, we’re not just providing education; we’re giving children a safe, inspiring, and sustainable place to grow.

If you’ve ever wondered how to make a tangible difference in a child’s life, this is it. Your donation, encouragement, or even sharing our story can help us reach more children, keep our classrooms running smoothly, and welcome those four little ones who are waiting for a chance to learn.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for being part of this journey with us. Seeing the sun shining over Siyakhula today, I felt so hopeful and I hope you feel that hope too.

Trina

Dear friends,

We are excited to share significant progress in one of our Early Childhood Centres that we support in South Africa. As part of our long-term goal to ensure sustainability and community impact, One centre has recently taken a bold step to become independent, launching their own preschool center, before the program was being overseen by a local school and action change but we want to put the power back into the hands of the community and this is our main aim for 2025. 

In the past few months, the centre team of four dedicated staff members made the courageous decision to take pay cuts in order to set up the center as an independent entity that they control. They’ve opened a bank account, met with parents, and have been working tirelessly to build a solid foundation. All donations to this program remain going to this centre and the team will take on direct ownership of all futue updates and thanking you donors directly! 

We will still be supporting this transition, Action Change remains involved and is providing mentorship to guide the team in managing the day-to-day operations of the center. Our focus has been on building their capacity to take full ownership and make the program financially self-sustaining within the next 12-18 months. This includes working on budgeting, forecasting, and establishing clear financials for the center’s long-term viability. We sat down together at the start of May and trained the team in google suites and helped build some basic tracking sheets, we are also now saving up to purchase 2-4 laptops for the staff to use to manage their program but also to help them expand their teaching by accessing online materials. 

We have planned an 18 month management handover to the local team, something we have wanted to do for years. In this time we will be training and mentoring the team as well as helping them get their centre registered with local government, once registered with local government they will be able to swap their donations income from our current supporters to government funding - making them fully locally sustaianble! 

In parallel, we are helping the center develop a brand identity, including a new logo and website, to better promote the center within the community. We are ensuring the team has the right resources and strategies to attract the right number of children, making the program both impactful and sustainable.

While the center’s growth brings opportunities, it also brings challenges. Safety remains a priority—township businesses and services, especially growing schools, can attract unwanted attention from local gangs, which can create safety concerns for staff, students, and families. We are closely monitoring these risks and working with the team to ensure a safe environment for everyone involved and this is why we set an 18 month plan. 

Your continued support is making all of this possible, and we are incredibly grateful for your partnership as we work towards creating a self-sustaining, safe, and thriving program. It's is exciting to be taking the first steps to help the community take ownership however their is a lot to do and we need to continue to fundraise to feed these children breakfast, hot lunch and afternoon fruit snack daily, fund the resources the centre needs - all currently funded by your donations until the government grants become available. The scholarship program and families able to fund a $20 a month attendance fee goves towards the staff salaries and this is the first element the team took over, they took a pay cut as it encouraged them to take ownership and recruit to the vacant spots and after 3 months they did it! The centre is now at full capacity and we're moving in the right direction. 

Thank you for your dedication to the children and families we serve.

With gratitude,

Tyler