Did you know that the first 1000 days period (the time from conception until the age of 2 years) is the most important time in children’s development? Now imagine a world, where parents have a strong connection with their children early on and know how to use play as language to advance learning and resilience. Think about a connected community, where children grow up with nurturing parents and community members who work together to raise healthy children as young leaders. Envision how societies can change if the vicious cycle of substance abuse is broken, because parents and children are given the necessary skills and support to make good life choices and excel as leaders of change.
At the start of 2025, the Ezrah team is looking forward to another exciting year of promoting ethical service delivery and quality education where children matter. We fulfil this vision through four main services: training, capacity building, leadership development and collaboration. In equipping non-profit organisational staff, social work professionals, ECD teachers and community facilitators with playful child-focused skills, we believe that safe communities can be built. Through collaboration on child protection and counter child trafficking projects, we are furthermore strengthening the child protection system collectively.
Child protection and -development are key focus areas for communities to ensure that children receive quality education and therefore our child protection focus currently includes the following training:
1. Child Protection Programme
Through this programme, a series of workshops on advancing child protection are hosted, while important child protection resources are made available online. The highlight of this series is the final workshop where all the skills are combined in order to develop a contextualised child protection policy for an organisation.
2. BuildSmart Parent Mentoring Programme
The BuildSmart Parent Mentoring programme trains community facilitators to mentor parents on the power of play in order to advance the four building blocks of parenting. Our programme emphasises the importance of hands-on experiences in fostering creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills among young learners. By encouraging families and educators to participate in fun, interactive activities, the BuildSmart Play Challenge aims to build a future where children matter.
3. I Can Choose Substance Use Prevention Training
The I can choose programme trains workshop participants to use fun tools and playful skills to mentor young children (aged 8-12 years) and their parents with the goal of making positive life choices and to prevent substance use. This workshop furthermore equips workshop participants to run a structured peer support group or to mentor kids individually.
4. First 1000 Days Training
This short workshop trains workshop participants to mentor parents in the building blocks of the First 1000 Days and in creating the most optimum environment for their baby’s development through health and nutrition, stimulation and play as well as love and attention.
In planning new material we get inspiration from the feedback of our workshop participants as they implement the different tools and skillsets:
“I am very positive about your trainings due to the fact that we can apply it to different
groups. It is practical and applicable to our clients.” – Sandra van Schalkwyk (Stellcare
Supervisor Eersterivier, 11 October 2024).
Looking ahead, we are excited that new courses are coming soon, so watch this space. If you want to be a leader of change, who is active in advancing the best interest of children, please visit our website, sign up to our newsletter and follow us on social media.
Together, we can create resilient and safe spaces, where children thrive.
Article written by Mariëtte Jacobs
(MD of Ezrah Community Training and Development NPC)
