A report on our work with the ECD Assistants 2009/10

Sikhula Sonke has continued to strengthen and grow its capacity as community development champion and as service provider in community of Khayelitsha. In the beginning of this year, Sikhula Sonke was presented with the greatest opportunity by the Department of Social Development to facilitate the process of the of the development of the ECD assistants (previously known interns) to acquire skills in all the relevant area around early childhood development, while at the same time focusing on developing the Early childhood development plans for our Khayelitsha Social Development district office. This has been performed in consultation with all the ECD stakeholders in Khayelitsha. The ECD assistants have played a crucial role in these activities and given them an opportunity to learn and gain more experience.
This has been a great experience with lots of great things to be proud of, with successes and achievements to celebrate. It has also been very strenuous, hectic and a very challenging with lots of learning opportunities as well. It is our responsibility as the Sikhula Sonke team and the DSD district office to be accountable and serve the stakeholders of the ECD field to our level best and beyond. This report will provide a more in-depth of the activities and progress of the ECD Assistant’s project.

10 ECD Assistants were placed in Khayelitsha Social development District office in June 2009. Out of 10 ECD Assistants, 8 of them were new in the programme and two of them were already working in the programme at the district office. One ECD Assistant was placed within Sikhula Sonke’s offices after three of them were offered a contract of employment by Sikhula Sonke.

Sikhula Sonke and the Department of Sikhula Sonke has invested in the PROFESSIONAL AND CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT TRAINING OF THE ECD ASSISTANTS by training them in the following:National ECD guidelines; the Cycle of community development; Children’s rights and the Child’s Care Act; Child Trafficking by JUSTICE ACT; Communication and leadership; the Minimum standards for ECD; a Knowledge building seminar on Early Childhood development by UNICEF and Psycho-social support training by OLIVE LEAF FOUNDATION.

The main tasks of the ECD Assistants involve:
•Visiting ECD sites to assist the unregistered sites meet the minimum requirements / standards so that they can be registered.
•To encourage and ensure proper delivery of the ECD programs in the centres.
•To report on issues around child safety and protection
•To assist those who need to re-register their ECD Sites.
•To take part in the general admin duties of the Department of Social Development.

Sixolile Mxunyelwa started in September 2009. This was Sixolile’s first job in his entire life and he was not sure what to expect from a professional world of work. A week after the educational seminar in Paternoster (West Coast) the real work started both at DSD and on ECD sites. He pushed so hard in assisting the educare principals to such an extent that he only has 4 unregistered centres under his name. Most of them are registered and looking at assisting the registered one with improving their standards.
“I learnt both from my colleagues, my co-ordinator and from Sikhula Sonke ambassadors on how to conduct myself professionally. The knowledge building seminar organised by UNICEF contributed a lot in empowering myself around Early childhood development, thanks to you Mdebuka of Sikhula Sonke”

Masilakhe Mahlombe also started with the programme in June 2009. Sikhula Sonke introduced Masilakhe to the concept of early childhood development. Masilakhe was glad to meet other ECD assistants at grassroots educare trust from various district offices of the Department of Social Development. He understands perfectly the goals of the EPWP to reduce unemployment through this programme and prepared himself to learn as much information as he can.
“ We have experienced what working in the ECD field is like and Knowing that the children are the valued members of the community”.

Concluding remarks from Mdebuka Mthwazi, the Program Manager of Sikhula Sonke:
"The level or the degree of synergy and professionalism that these ECD Assistants have shown in this project has given me the hope that after this project, most of them will make professional characters. It has not been easy to lead this project from both Sikhula Sonke’s side and the district office side. We hope that in the New Year the channels of communication will improve from these partners for the sake of the development in this project.