Early childhood development holds the key to our future – Ramaphosa

CYRIL RAMAPHOSA

THERE are few presidential activities more fulfilling than spending a morning in the company of small children. Last week, I attended the opening of the Little Flower early childhood development (ECD) centre in Bizana in the Eastern Cape, where I got to spend time with some of the future leaders of our country, reading to them and listening to them.

The centre was recently built by the development organisation Impande South Africa through the support of the Nelson Mandela Foundation.

I was deeply touched by the dedication of the centre’s staff to supporting the community and its children. They told me how in the centre’s earliest days, staff struggled to get paid and yet still came to work. They also told me that even if families are not able to pay the R20 fee for their child, the children are not turned away.

The commitment of the ECD