THELELULWAZI CRECHE ACHIEVES OFFICIAL ACCREDITATION!
We are incredibly proud to celebrate BIG news: Thelelulwazi Creche, one of two creches supported by Wild Tomorrow as part of our community program, has officially achieved official certification from the South African Government’s Department of Basic Education. This has been a joint journey for Wild Tomorrow and the dedicated teachers at Theleluwazi since we began our journey together in 2019.
This is a transformational milestone, not just for the Thelelulwazi Creche – but for what’s possible across our region. Read more about this exciting update in our latest blog post below.
A happy young learner at the Thelelulwazi Creche that will benefit from professional ECD learning activities and trained teachers!
FROM VISION TO REALITY
Thelelulwazi’s journey to government recognition didn’t just happen overnight. It was over 3 years ago in October 2022, that Thelelulwazi took a big first step forward with the construction of a kitchen and dining hall, following construction of their new school house (classroom) in 2019. Having a separate kitchen and dining facility was just one step on a daunting long list of requirements towards official recognition and subsidized funding by the South African Government’s Department of Basic Education (DBE).
Quality early learning is crucial to creating brighter futures for the children of Mduku. Research consistently shows that without quality education in early years, children rarely catch up — impacting their future outcomes. Sadly, according to a recent 2024 national Thrive by Five report, the majority of children enrolled in Early Learning Programmes in South Africa are not yet on track by the age of four for key developmental indicators, with 28% Falling Behind, and 30% Falling Far Behind. Infrastructure and resource shortages are common, with only 61% of ECD centers having at least ten children’s books and 34% lacking playground equipment. These deficits compromise the quality of education offered at the creches.
Aphiwe (Wild Tomorrow’s Community Conservation Manager) in her element with the kids at Thelelulwazi Creche!
Last year, Wild Tomorrow and the dedicated teachers of Theleluwazi Creche, in partnership with specialized early childhood education NGO, GrowECD, embarked on a 3-year journey together. Our investment in the GrowECD program supports the teachers with training, educational tools and materials, business management skills, and more. Led by our Community Conservation Manager, Aphiwe Notshaya, our shared vision was for the creche to gain government certification, which comes not only with official recognition, but also financial support for teacher salaries and general operating expenses.
Jenny Machangu, Wild Tomorrow’s ECD Program Manager.
With the support of Wild Tomorrow’s community program donors, we helped Thelelulwazi to build the essential foundations needed to qualify – from improved classrooms and facilities, composting washrooms, safe fencing, a playground and other necessary infrastructure. The ECD program investment included vital training for the teachers and a play-based curriculum, which GrowECD explains, “…is like having a mentor next to each teacher since it includes voice note summaries, video demos, recorded songs and rhymes, photos and detailed instructions for each age group, per theme, for the whole school year,” plus new posters and learning materials for the classroom walls, and other educational aids — which you can see below!
We hired Jenny Machangu last year to lead the program, and she has been working hard, embedded at the two creches alongside the teachers, with her formal degree in education providing the expertise required to guide the ECD program implementation.
Jenny with two of the dedicated teachers of Thelelulwazi Creche.
And now, all of this hard work and investment has paid off…and ahead of time!
A NEW CHAPTER...AND A PROUD MOMENT
Last month, the Thelelulwazi creche received the good news. Their creche, as an ECD center, now meets the standards needed to receive Bronze level certification. Their first government payment arrived on April the 7th, to much celebration! This funding will help subsidize:
Teacher salaries
Daily meals for students
Learning materials
Core operating costs
In short, Thelelulwazi is stepping into a new chapter of empowerment and self-sustainability. Aphiwe’s passion, persistence, and belief in what’s possible have helped turn a long-term dream into reality. When asked about the moment, Aphiwe shared:
“When I first started with Wild Tomorrow, this felt like such a huge and overwhelming task. To now be able to share with the team that we did this...it’s incredibly special. I honestly didn’t think we would achieve it so soon. I’m still in disbelief– did we really secure this funding?!”
WHAT’S NEXT FOR THELELULWAZI
One of Thelelulwazi Creche’s learners and a Grow ECD puzzle.
Theleluwazi has achieved Bronze Certification with the Department of Education...an INCREDIBLE accomplishment! But we’re not stopping here - the goal is Gold!
The Bronze level certification is valid for one year after which the Education Department’s inspectors will return, to check on additional requirements. We will do everything to support the teachers to pass with flying colors, towards their Silver/Gold status, which is then valid for 5 years - together with continuity in Government funding.
By the next evaluation, the creche aims to:
Build two additional classrooms (each classroom build costs ~$30k)
Establish a sick bay
Install fire safety equipment
Continue improving overall infrastructure and care standards
Aphiwe, Jenny and Wild Tomorrow’s team and community of supporters will continue walking alongside them every step of the way.
BE PART OF WHAT COMES NEXT
While Thelelulwazi steps into sustainability, our work continues. There are more creches. More children. More communities that need this same pathway forward. This milestone represents something even bigger than one creche. It proves that this model works. By supporting ECD centers to reach the standards required for government funding, we can help them become self-sustaining – and then replicate that success with other creches across our neighboring communities. This is how we can create a lasting, scalable impact.
If you’d like to be part of building brighter futures – and helping us replicate the model – we'd love your support.
THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS
This achievement is a true reflection of what’s possible when organizations come together with a shared vision.
Wild Impact (andBeyond Phinda’s charity arm) helped us to identify the creche as a meaningful community project. They then provided plans and managed the construction of the creche building, kitchen, and dining room complex. The creche school house building was funded by generous donations thanks to: Lise Grendene, who funded initial school house construction (2019), and Valerie Golden-Remm who funded the construction of the new kitchen and dining hall (2022).
The Grow ECD program, implemented through Wild Tomorrow’s community education donors, equipped Thelelulwazi’s teachers with with the skills, support and tools they need to provide quality early learning for every child while also operating their preschools more professionally and financially sustainably – positioning the creche for long-term success. Special thanks to Ronald Fong for his suppport.
And the Department of Education played a critical role in guiding and supporting the process, helping bring this funding and certification to life.
It’s a powerful reminder that sustainable change doesn’t happen in isolation; it happens through collaboration.
Together, we’re not just supporting schools. We’re building a future where communities and conservation can thrive side by side.