Ntataise Lowveld Trust

Ngo – Early Childhood Development

Profile

Mission Statement

The aim of Ntataise Lowveld Trust is to provide a comprehensive Early Childhood Development service to rural disadvantaged children through the following programmes:

Accredited Training and Support to Practitioners; a Food Gardens; 2 Toy and Book Libraries and an advanced enrichment Programme.

Beneficiaries

The beneficiaries of Ntataise Lowveld Trust’s programmes include:

Disadvantaged Rural Children:

Our programmes are designed to equip practitioners with skills to enhance the holistic development of disadvantaged rural children in a creative and well organized manner, thus preparing them for future success in formal schooling.

The children at 61 Preschools are given Educational Toys and Books on a continuous rotational basis to ensure that they have access to learning through play.

The children at 53 Pre-schools have vegetable gardens that feed both their minds and their bodies.

Upliftment of Community-based Women:

• The practitioners (the vast majority being community-based women) receive practical and theoretical skills for use as a source of employment for themselves and others, whilst providing a valuable service to the communities in which they live.
• The School Farmers (usually unemployed women) learn valuable trench garden techniques which they use to grow vegetables for the Pre-schools.
• The Toy and Book Library gives the Practitioners the ‘tools’ to teach the outcomes of the curriculum properly. The educational toys
• 15 Practitioners a year are selected to take part in our specialized training called the Enrichment Programme. These Practitioners are given the necessary books and toys plus in-depth training.

History

Ntataise Lowveld Trust was established in 1986 as a branch of Ntataise Trust, Viljoenskroon. The initial aim was to empower farm crèches and this later expanded to include community pre-schools.   Although Ntataise Lowveld Trust became an independent NPO in 1995, it is still affiliated to Ntataise Trust, Viljoenskroon, utilizing their training materials and research and sharing expertise and research.

Operational Area

Ntataise Lowveld Trust operates in Mpumalanga Province, in the Mbombela and Nkomazi municipalities of the Ehlanzeni district.  Our area is large, extending from the Mozambique Border in the East to the Elands Valley in the West.   The demand for our specialized services is constant, and growing, as we are the only independent training organisation offering this training in the region.

Programmes and Projects

Ntataise Lowveld is an Accredited Training Provider, delivering training and support in the field of Early Childhood Development.  We use the well-researched training materials and assessment guides developed by Ntataise Trust, Viljoenskroon and offer Courses (Core and Electives) from Level 1 to Level 4, leading to a National Certificate in ECD.

Training Programme:

Courses:   Practitioners attend 3 two-week Courses per annum. Practitioners are required to submit assignments at every stage. Each Course is designed to provide practitioners with skills and tools to use in their playrooms, with each Course building upon the previous learning. We limit the number of Practitioners to 25 per Trainer.

Workshops:

Ntataise Lowveld offers 3 one-day Workshops per month. The Workshops are presented both at Level 1 and at Level 4. A different theme i.e. Small Animals, My Family, Community Helpers is explored each month. Work books and posters pertaining to each theme are handed out. Each Workshop covers several topics, including creativity projects, songs, basic child development and particularly monthly planning based on the themes. Workshops are held in different locations, to make travel easier for the participants. Workshops are designed to compliment the Courses and are open to all Practitioners who are on our database.

On-Site Visits:

Throughout the year, our Assessors/Trainers make follow-up visits to the crèches of regular participants.   The purpose of these visits is to provide guidance, support and feedback to the practitioners, and at the same time to assess the level of competence of each participant in compliance with the NQF requirements. This is unique to our program and provides both theoretical and personal ‘one on one’ practical assistance/

Pre-School Food Gardens Programme:

Community Volunteers are trained in Trench Garden vegetable growing. Each year 25 Pre-school gardeners participate and by the end of the year, these gardens are able to be self-sustainable.

Toy and Book Library:

61 Pre-schools benefit from a wide range of educational toys and books. These are rotated on a monthly basis between the schools so that the children have continued access to different learning skills through active play. At each visit the Librarians run Drama to Music workshops which is an amazing programme teaching both Literacy, Numeracy and Life Skills.

Enrichment Programme:

This programme ‘enriches’ 15 pre-schools per annum to become ‘centers of excellence’ where each Practitioner is mentored by our specially trained Trainer. Each Pre-school is also equipped with a variety of educational toys and books. Both the Pre-school, the Practitioner and the present and future children benefit enormously.

Monitoring and Evaluation Processes

Our trainers are required to work within strict accountability structures to ensure that no pre-school or creche is left ‘alone’ in the process.  Timelines, data collection, statistics and best-practices are adhered to, stringently.  The history of each practitioner and pre-school/creche can be monitored, and accessed, at any given time.

Skills Development/Self-Sufficiency

1.     Practitioners learn how to run and manage a creche in a rural situation.

2.     Practitioners progress from simple beginnings to a structured timetable with programmes carefully evolved to cover the many skills that the pre-school child requires in readiness for formal schooling.

3.     Practitioners have the opportunity to interact with others in similar situations, and to discuss solutions to common problems.

4.     Practitioners learn simple financial management and also how to report to parent and management committees.

5.     Practitioners may progress to different levels of skill.

6.     Practitioners are encouraged to be inventive by making resources from waste.

7.     Practitioners are trained to be able to grow vegetables for the schools and to sell excess

vegetables to bring further funding for the Pre-school’s benefit.

Achievements

Since 1986 Ntataise Lowveld has influenced the lives of thousands of children through the training we have provided to hundreds of rural practitioners.   Many of the practitioners we have trained have become self-supporting and have employed others in the pre-schools they have established.

All our training has been developed in line with the requirements of the South African Qualifications Authority, and we have received accreditation from the Education, Training and Development Practices Seta.

Awards

2011 – First Prize in the Provincial Making a Difference Award —  Educational Sector.

2010 – Second Place for the ABSA/SOWETA ECD Resource and Training National category.

2009 – First Place for the ABSA/SOWETAN ECD most Innovative Provincial Programmes

2009 – First Runner-up in the ABSA/SOWETAN ECD Resource and Training Provincial Category.

2008 – First Runner-up in the ABSA/SOWETAN ECD Provincial Award

2001 – Nominated for Education Africa, Presidential & Premier Education Awards

Future Plans

Having consolidated our reputation by providing reliable and expert ECD training in the communities, our plans for the future include expanding our activities into community development.   Many of the pre-schools in which we are involved are ideally placed to become community centres, where assistance in the areas of HIV/Aids, orphaned, abused and vulnerable children, further food gardens, adult education, and many other services can be provided. In partnership with the people of the region, we envision the development of several such centres.

Values of Ntataise Lowveld Trust