Dr Tshepo Motsepe, South Africa’s First Lady and Patron of the Early Care Foundation, shares her thoughts and passion about the importance of early care for children. ECF is an organisation dedicated to increasing access to early childhood development in disadvantaged areas through upskilling women and providing support for home based creches.

The Covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated this already fragile sector. Thousands of parents and early care practitioners have lost their jobs, which also means that thousands of children in vulnerable communities lose their access to safe, educational early care facilities and the associated daily nutrition the creche provides. Early Care Foundation has launched #NoOneLeftBehind campaign to help get at least 1000 children back into a stimulating learning environment and providing a roadmap for women back into employment.