Stories Of Change

RESULT: Staff participate in capacity building, training and networking events, and begin to demonstrate their own personal growth as a result. 

 

Nokuthula Sinyeke is one of the dedicated teachers at Ikhaya Labantwana Montessori (ILM) preschool in Coffee Bay, South Africa. This area used to be part of the Transkei homeland during apartheid, and as such suffers from much under development. Most of the local population are illiterate, unemployed, live below the poverty line, and are dependent on government grants as their main source of income. Nokuthula is one of the few adults in the area to have completed high school, even with her matric qualification she was unable to find employment for five years. Finally in 2011, Nokuthula joined ILM as a cook and assistant.  

 

One day she was asked to read to the children. A little while later she was shown how to present material to the children. This was the beginning of her passion for working with children and her love of the Montessori approach. Nokuthula observed the true benefits of the stimulating environment and how the children just craved purposeful activity. She was then offered a position on the first training course with First Children which she completed in 2015. Nokuthula now plays a central role in parent workshops, mentoring the up-and-coming trainee teachers and is even hopeful to start her own school in her home village one day. 

 

“I like to work with young children. I like the Montessori approach because the child learn easily with everything being concrete and visual in front of him. He can touch and feel everything too. They learn more at Montessori – respect, manners and independence too. Both of my own boys were at Ikhaya Labantwana and I see how they know more than their friends at school and are ahead. They have won prizes for good work. My eldest son is the best English reader at school, and he goes to read to other Primary school children in and around the area. I am so proud of him and that is because of the Montessori he had when he was little.” 

 

RESULT: ECD centres improve on their teaching and facilities.

In 2013, when First Children started getting involved in Montessori education in the Coffee Bay area, there was only one trained teacher, at one school, serving around 40 children. It was clear that there was a need to offer skills development to build local capacity for ECD education to grow and flourish. When canvassing in the area for people to join the proposed training course, two women from local schools stepped forward. At the time, these schools had meager resources and only the most basic of facilities.

Owing to the level of poverty in the area, the families of the children attending these schools generally did not pay school fees, nor did they understand and appreciate the importance of education in this critical time of their children’s development so school attendance was low.

Through the training, mentoring and investment from First Children, over 20 individuals from local communities have been trained in ECD and schools in the area have seen significant structural and educational improvements.

“The community is so happy about the school now. Even in this short time there is now a waiting list. The parents are proud and take an interest in the classroom. They see the Montessori school is clean. They didn’t understand the activities at first, they thought we were just playing, but I have explained that every activity is preparing the child for the school life, to write, to read and to use their brain. With the help of the parent meetings, each time they come I show them around so that they are familiar. So they understand now. They are aware of the materials and if they find something in the pockets, they know it must be back to school, they return it and no longer throw it in the grass. I feel so proud to have this beautiful school, classroom and new material. I feel confident that I can do a better job. It makes us to be more interested and more committed to our work and the children.”