Expanding EAT LOVE PLAY TALK with Rama in Boksburg & Bushbuckridge

Building on the successful roll-out of the DO MORE FOUNDATION's parent and caregiver support programme EAT LOVE PLAY TALK (ELPT) across seven under‑resourced communities, Rama’s sponsorship has nearly doubled the programme’s reach, from 46 to 90 ECD sites and from 1,404 to approximately 2,340 participating parents and caregivers, including in two new communities: Boksburg in Gauteng and Bushbuckridge in Mpumalanga.

Why the Expansion Matters

Diverse Community Contexts

Boksburg, an urban area, struggles with “hidden hunger”, which is a nutrient deficiency layered beneath economic stress, unemployment and poor diet diversity. Bushbuckridge, a rural district, faces both physical barriers to accessing diverse foods and traditional dietary misconceptions, resulting in under‑ and malnutrition. Tailoring ELPT to both contexts allows caregivers to learn affordable, nutrient‑rich food practices - urban families are taught to make cost‑effective healthy meals, while rural families learn how to use local, indigenous foods.

The ELPT Method: Light‑Touch, Interactive, Sustainable

Developed by DO MORE with ECD experts, ELPT is a train‑the‑trainer caregiving and nutrition programme grounded in best practice and behaviour‑change theory . Its essential characteristics include:

• Seven monthly workshops, led by trained ECD principals and facilitators.
• Creative, interactive visual materials, playbooks, session guides and incentives to engage caregivers.
• Emphasis on group learning, peer support, culturally appropriate messaging and accessible language.
• Balanced messaging across four interlinked themes: EAT, LOVE, PLAY, and TALK.

Within ELPT, nutrition literacy is central: caregivers learn how quality nutrition supports healthy growth and development—and how modest dietary changes can reduce stunting and health risks.

Role of Rama: Strategic Investment and Amplification

Rama brings both financial investment and sector credibility. As part of Siqalo Foods, the brand aligns closely with DO MORE’s nutrition mandate. Key contributions include:

Funding to scale ELPT into Boksburg and Bushbuckridge in 2025.

Bringing the programme directly into Rama’s staff community in Boksburg, offering ELPT workshops for employees who are caregivers themselves.

Reinforcing the values of nutritious, affordable cooking and caregiver empowerment across business and community spheres.

This collaboration bridges private sector reach with social impact: Rama’s patronage accelerates expansion while anchoring ELPT’s roots in local ECD network capacity.

Early Lessons Learned and Success Factors

Local adaptation matters: ELPT’s strength lies in its flexibility. In Bushbuckridge, the focus is on identifying local food resources and indigenous practices; in Boksburg, on affordable dietary options rooted in a tight urban market. Adaptability ensures relevance across different food‑security realities.

Train‑the‑trainer builds sustainability: Equipping ECD centre principals and practitioners to deliver workshops enables programme continuity and creates local champions—not just one‑off workshops by external facilitators.

Engagement through interactive, fun learning: ELPT uses simple, colourful visuals and group interaction (incentivised attendance, peer sharing, interactive sessions) to embed habits related to feeding, caregiving and early learning in ways that feel achievable for stressed households.

Linking nutrition with stimulation and attachment: By integrating nutrition with responsive caregiving (LOVE), play‑based development (PLAY), and communication/literacy (TALK), ELPT strengthens a holistic package that addresses cognitive, emotional and physical growth.

Demonstrating impact through data and scaling potential: The expansion—from 46 to 90 sites, reaching nearly doubled caregiver numbers—clearly illustrates how corporate sponsorship enables scale. Monitoring uptake and behaviour change will enable further improvements and replication.

Broader Significance and Forward Momentum

This partnership exemplifies how inclusive corporate social investment (CSI), when combined with expert design, community ownership and scalable training, can unlock systemic impact. Key implications for future communities and partnerships include:

Business-NGO synergy: Rama’s alignment with DO MORE’s mission highlights how business platforms can catalyse impact beyond philanthropy—scaling and sustainability are built in.

Replication ready model: ELPT’s success in diverse contexts suggests it’s ready for further expansion—both geographically and with other corporate partners.

Holistic early years support: When nutrition education is bundled with play, attachment, and language-stimulation messaging, the developmental return per child is maximised.

Capacity-building ethos: Institutionalizing training at the ECD‑centre level ensures that support continues beyond the sponsorship period, strengthening local resilience.

The Rama collaboration in Bushbuckridge and Boksburg stands out as a milestone of both scope and substance. The impact is two-fold: expansion and deepening of reach that is tailored to local realities and grounded in sustainable practice.

Through this partnership, caregivers gain actionable skills in nutrition and responsive caregiving. Young children benefit not just from better food, but from enriched learning environments rooted in love, play and language. And ECD centres emerge as true anchors of community resilience.

This story demonstrates the power of collaborative, contextualized, and scalable parent and caregiver support programming and sets a replicable template for future impact across South Africa.