aRe Bapaleng festivities with the parents and caregivers in the Mmotong Village, Limpopo!
On Wednesday,20 September the Caregiver Network-ers under the local implementing partner of aRe Bapaleng programme, Tlou Tlou Development celebrated the progress they have made in the local community and surrounding villages with their home visits and Active Learning Workshops. The Jolly event is aimed at promoting interactive playdates between children and caring adults, bringing together parents, caregivers, local clinics, ECD Practitioners and social workers together for a day of conversations focused on the betterment of parenting.
“We are grateful to Seriti for bringing this initiative to our community, we are seeing the change it is making even in the behaviour children display in schools. This initiative is a great example of implementing public policies by promoting child protection, the right to education and proper basic care”, said Mr. Baloyi the local councillor.
There was an open floor panel discussion between parents, guardians and the officials from the local Social Development department and South African Police Services. Giving the parents/ caring adults the platform to actively engage in the conversations pertaining to the development and raising of their children. The consistent topics were on parental styles, how to engage fathers/ male guardians, nutrition and child protection specifically from GBV in households.
To end the event, everyone assembled outside and grouped in teams – they were playing indigenous games such as kgathi, phathi, mukhusha etc. The excitement of children witnessing their parents play and competing against each other was priceless, it brought on a new wave of connection.
The children had opportunities to showcase their talents through singing, dancing and doing rhythms, it was such a pleasant sight to see how confident and engaged the children were and proud parents/ caregivers beaming with pride as they sang along and applauded the performances. To show support, some of the parents also made a special performance, demonstrating how to incorporate sound, movement and coordination – a method learnt during one of their Active Learning Workshops (ALWs) with aRe Bapaleng Caregiver Networkers.
“Since the Caregiver Networker came to our house, I am now a better father. I am helping with homework, I attend school meetings and I do my best to play with my children even after a long day at the office. I want to encourage other fathers to be actively involved.” It is such feedback that motivates and encourages the work the programme does.
aRe Bapaleng is steadfast in its commitment to creating a nurturing Early Childhood Development ecosystem that ensures every child's access to safe, stimulating, and high-quality learning environments. By collaborating with like-minded partners and stakeholders, the programme is dedicated to strengthening local Early Childhood Development initiatives and promoting a brighter future for children everywhere.
Read more on the aRe Bapaleng Programme and how to partner with us here: https://seriti.org.za/programmes/are-bapaleng/