education
Creating opportunities through early childhood development, art, psychosocial support and STEM.
Early Childhood Education
Giving children a stronger start
Every child deserves the opportunity to enter school ready to learn, regardless of where they are born.
In many rural communities, ECD practitioners work with enormous dedication but often have limited access to training, resources and professional support. The result is that young children can miss out on some of the experiences and foundations that are so important during the first years of life.
Ripples for Change works alongside ECD practitioners to strengthen the quality of early learning and create better environments for young children to grow, learn and thrive
Our approach
Our ECD Mentorship Programme provides ongoing, practical support to practitioners rather than relying only on once-off training. Our mentors work directly with centres, helping practitioners translate new knowledge into everyday practice.
We focus on the whole ECD environment, including learning, child safety, health, nutrition, administration and the professional development of practitioners.
What we do
- Ongoing mentorship and support for ECD practitioners
- Training on the National Curriculum Framework
- First Aid and child safety training
- Injury prevention and safe learning environments
- Support with ECD norms and standards
- Growth monitoring and basic child development measurements
- Training mentors to use the Early Learning Outcomes Measure
- Baseline assessments and ongoing monitoring
- Practical resources and tools for ECD centre
- Support parents with tools and activities
Looking ahead
We are continuing to strengthen our mentorship model and expand access to practical early learning support, including the planned introduction of the Basic Concepts programme in rural ECD centres.
Our goal is simple, to help every child get the strong start they deserve.
ECD Centres
Art in Rural Schools
Where creativity becomes a way of learning
For a child, a blank page can be the beginning of almost anything.
Art gives children the opportunity to experiment, express themselves and discover that there can be many ways to solve a problem. It also supports skills that are important far beyond the art classroom.
Our Art in Rural Schools Programme brings structured, regular art activities into rural primary schools while supporting teachers with practical resources and training.
Our approach
We believe art is a part of brain and skills development, not a privilege available only in well resourced schools.
Our programme uses creative activities to support children's development in areas including literacy, numeracy, fine motor skills, concentration, confidence and communication.
We also work with teachers so that creative learning can continue beyond the programme.
What we do
- Weekly art lessons for young learners through short videos
- Provide art materials and kits
- Support and train teachers
- Organise exhibitions to celebrate children's work
- Run creative competitions and activities
- Use art to reinforce literacy and numeracy concepts
Our reach
The programme was initially piloted in Mooiplaas and has grown to work with rural schools serving young children in the Eastern Cape, including Ncera.
More than making art
When a child draws a picture, they are also making decisions, solving problems, developing fine motor control and learning to communicate an idea.
We want children in rural schools to have the same opportunity to discover their creativity and develop these skills.
And perhaps just as importantly, we want them to experience the feeling of creating something they can be proud of.
Psychosocial Support
Helping young people build resilience
Growing up can be difficult anywhere. For adolescents living in communities facing poverty, violence, unemployment and other social pressures, the challenges can be even greater.
Schools are often one of the places where young people can find trusted adults and support.
Our psychosocial support programme helps schools strengthen their ability to support learners with practical tools for managing stress and anxiety, building resilience and coping with difficult experiences.
Our approach
We focus on prevention and practical support.
Rather than waiting until a young person reaches crisis point, we want to equip learners and the adults around them with tools that can help them recognise stress, manage difficult emotions and seek support when needed.
Our current programme
Our EmotionAid Psycho-Social Support Programme is being piloted with Grades 9 and 10 learners in rural high schools in the Buffalo City Metro and Amathole District.
The pilot reached approximately 4200 learners.
The programme is being implemented in partnership with The Counselling Hub.
What we do
- Implement EmotionAid sessions and provide practical tools to manage stress, anxiety and emotional overwhelm.
- Raise awareness of common mental health signs and symptoms, helping learners and staff recognise when someone may be struggling
- Train teachers and Learner Support Agents (LSAs) to better identify and respond to learners who may need support.
- Build resilience, emotional awareness and healthy coping skills among learners, teachers and LSAs.
- Strengthen the support available within schools by equipping staff with practical skills and referral pathways.
- Establish Brave Voices Clubs, creating peer support groups where learners can talk, listen and support one another in a safe environment.
- Connect learners and schools with appropriate professional and community support services when additional help is needed.
Creating safer spaces
We want young people to know that struggling does not mean they are alone.
By giving learners practical tools and equipping the adults who support them, we hope to create school environments where young people can develop the resilience and confidence they need to navigate challenges and move forward.
STEM & Digital Learning
Bringing the future closer
Where a young person lives should not determine their access to science, technology and innovation.
Yet learners and students in rural areas can face significant barriers to accessing equipment, technology, skilled facilitators and opportunities to experiment.
We work with partners to bring STEM opportunities closer to communities and educational institutions.
Our approach
We see STEM as more than computers and technology.
It is about curiosity, problem solving, experimentation and asking, "What if?"
We want young people to experience science and technology as something they can actively explore and create, rather than something that exists only in textbooks or urban centres.
What we do
- Facilitate STEM centres for educational institutions
- Connect rural school with the established STEM centres
- Support access to digital and technology learning
Connect young people with science, technology and innovation
Looking ahead
We are exploring the development of mobile STEM laboratories that can travel to rural communities, bringing hands-on technology and exciting learning experiences directly to learners. By making STEM practical, accessible and engaging, we aim to spark curiosity, build confidence and inspire young people to choose school subjects that can open pathways to future STEM careers.
Our vision is to help young people see technology not simply as something they consume, but as something they can understand, create and use to solve problems in their own communities.
STEM Centres
