OUR NEWS

At the DO MORE FOUNDATION, our mission to strengthen families and nurture young children is deeply rooted in collaboration. Over the past year, a strategic partnership amplifying our parenting work has been our active membership in the South African Parenting Programme Implementers Network (SAPPIN).

Since 2020, Do More, through implementing partner Lulamaphiko, has been running an ECD programme in uPhongolo, a municipality in Northern KZN. Through this partnership, Do More has seen its work shift, change and grow in the most positive ways.

In May 2025 Do More felt it was time to document what was happening in this area. As part of the documentation, fieldwork was undertaken. It included participating in the visit by Executives of RCL and their partners, a visit to ECD centres, and interviews with the principals of those, along with visits to a parent, and discussions with RCL staff and government representatives. This fieldwork was supplemented by online interviews with a number of organisations who have come on board to support this initiative. They include the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund (NMCF), Bookdash, Dlala Nathi and Real Reform for ECD, all organisations concerned with the wellbeing of young children and the early childhood development sector in general.

The First 1000 Days is increasingly recognised as a critical period for child development, with a growing global evidence base. But the key question remains: where is the best platform to reach young children, and how do we localise these globally acknowledged messages? What do they mean for the everyday mother or family in a local community? Churches remain deeply trusted institutions, places where families gather, and where care often begins.

Over the past five months, faith leaders in Nkomazi and the Breede River Valley have been taking intentional steps to support families in the First Thousand Days (first 1000 Days) which is the period from pregnancy to age two. This work is part of a growing partnership between the Do More Foundation, Sikunye, and local church networks. Together, we are walking alongside churches as they find ways to nurture the youngest members of their community by strengthening the families around them.

Who is Sikunye? Sikunye is a programme of Common Good that supports churches across South Africa to engage in early childhood development. The name means “We are together” — and that’s the heart of their approach: equipping church leaders with practical tools, training, and accompaniment to become champions for children in the early years.

Something special happened this year: the DO MORE FOUNDATION has formally partnered with the National Department of Basic Education (DBE) to bring the National Integrated Early Childhood Development Policy (NIECD) to life, community by community.

On paper, it’s a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). In practice, it’s a powerful door-opener. One that allows us to take our Everyone Gets to PLAY model, designed with and for real communities, and integrate it into the fabric of how early childhood services are delivered across South Africa.

This model is about collective impact in action. It’s not just our work - it’s a partnership between specialist non-profits, local government departments, local business and community leaders who understand what young children and their families need to thrive. Together, we’re delivering a holistic basket of services - from early learning and nutrition to parenting support and child protection. And now, we’re doing it with national government behind us.

So, what does this mean? The MoU is more than a signature, it’s a signal. A signal that government recognises the power of shared-value partnerships between non-profits, business, and the state to drive systemic change in early childhood development. Within weeks of signing, the DBE issued letters (signed by the Director-General) to all provincial Heads of Department, naming DO MORE FOUNDATION as an official implementing partner. This opened doors not only for collaboration, but for trust, visibility, and alignment at all levels.

Everyone Gets to Play is a values-driven model that demonstrates what’s possible when diverse partners align around a shared commitment to young children. The outcome of the model is a collective impact approach designed to strengthen the systems of care surrounding children from pregnancy through the early years of life.

Developed and refined through years of collaboration, this model shows what happens when government, civil society, and business work together, not just in theory, but in practice. The result is a localised, sustainable system that delivers real outcomes for children and families. The model is currently being implemented and adapted across eight under-resourced communities in South Africa.