At least 28 Early Childhood Development (ECD) centres in Cala, Eastern Cape, have received a combined R1.6 million worth of learning and teaching materials which will strengthen the centres’ programmes and provide children with resources to support their physical, mental and emotional development.
The initiative will ultimately benefit 1 034 children in Cala and surrounding villages, with materials covering key developmental and learning areas, including gross and fine motor development, fantasy play, reading, tabletop activities and ring activities.
The National Development Agency (NDA) and Eskom started handing over the materials on Monday, with 12 ECD centres receiving support on the first day of the programme.
The support will assist beneficiary centres in delivering effective ECD programmes and strengthening foundational learning, particularly in communities with limited access to educational resources. The materials will also help create stimulating and exploratory environments that support children before they progress to formal schooling.
The handover gives practical expression to the ECD component of the partnership between the NDA and Eskom, which contributes to efforts to eradicate poverty by supporting civil society organisations (CSOs) to improve their growth and sustainability.
Collaborative efforts
The working relationship between Eskom and the NDA began in 2013 and was formalised through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in February 2025.
NDA Eastern Cape Provincial Manager Nokulunga Skeyi said the initiative demonstrates the value of partnerships in supporting community development.
“This handover demonstrates what can be achieved when the public sector and corporate social investment institutions combine their strengths in support of community development.
“Through our partnership with Eskom, and in collaboration with the Sakhisizwe NPO Forum, we are investing in the capacity of Early Childhood Development centres to provide children with an improved foundation for learning and development,” Skeyi said.
The partnership is guided by a joint Programme Steering Committee and combines the mandates, resources and capabilities of the NDA and Eskom to support community-based development.
Through the MoU, the parties jointly identify and implement interventions that address the needs of poor and vulnerable communities. Eskom supports the NDA in identifying and assessing NPOs in need, provides resources subject to available funding and assigns representatives to support the project management team.
The NDA mobilises CSOs, identifies eligible non-profit organisations (NPOs) for support and provides capacity building and grant funding within approved plans and budgets. It also allocates expertise and resources and monitors project performance.
Eskom Cala Senior Supervisor in the Cape Coastal Cluster Sive Rabaza said the initiative is an investment in early learning, and the organisations serving children and families.
“Our collaboration with the NDA reflects our commitment to supporting sustainable initiatives that make a meaningful difference in communities. Providing learning and teaching support materials to these 28 ECD centres is an investment in early learning and in the organisations that serve children and families at community level,” Rabaza said.
Rabaza emphasised that the initiative is more than delivering materials, but an investment in children, and laying a foundation for lifelong learning in stimulating and exploratory environments.
The partnership MoU spans all provinces and is currently active in the Eastern Cape and Western Cape. The most recent handover took place in Khayelitsha in June 2026, where 31 ECD centres received support.
The Cala handover programme will continue until the end of this week, with deliveries to centres in villages including Manzimdaka, Upper Mnxe and Cacadu completing the cycle of support to all 28 centres.
The Sakhisizwe ECD Forum, which has worked with the NDA since 2015, welcomed the initiative and acknowledged previous NDA interventions, including training for ECD practitioners.
Mayor Boniswa Phonoshe welcomed the contribution, saying the resources will help the municipality and government nurture future leaders in Cala. – SAnews.gov.za
