Human Rights Month: Bushbuckridge's Young Child Forums

Connecting ECD practitioners and Government is crucial to achieving children’s rights in Bushbuckridge's Dwarsloop A and B, Maviljan, Shatale, Casteel, Athurseat and Greenvalley communities.

The DO MORE FOUNDATION (DMF) and Sunbake are working with the Bushbuckridge Local Municipality, departments of Basic Education and Health, and various civil society organisations* to empower seven communities of Bushbuckridge through Young Child Forums (YCF) to make a greater impact in the development, health and overall well-being of young children.

Young children (from birth to 5 years) are among the most vulnerable members of South Africa, which is why our Constitution prioritises children's rights in Section 28 of the Bill of Rights. It states that the best interests of a child are of paramount importance to be achieved through shared responsibility. The ‘Everyone Gets To PLAY’ (EGTP) collective action model is a practical solution to making shared responsibility a reality. This model brings together business, government, families and other ECD sector workers to ensure the fulfillment of children’s rights to education, healthcare, food, water and social services, parental/caregiver care and shelter.

Following Sunbake’s invitation, DMF has been working in Bushbuckridge since 2023 to promote universal access to quality services that meet young children’s developmental rights and needs as outlined in the National Integrated Early Childhood Development (ECD) Policy. To date, 1751 children have been reached at 40 ECD centres in Dwarsloop A and B, Maviljan, Shatale, Casteel, Athurseat and Greenvalley,

Young Child Forums are integral in achieving improved ECD outcomes for Bushbuckridge’s young children through collective impact. They are a platform for all stakeholders in the local ECD sector to share knowledge, experiences and lessons about how to effectively implement government young child policies, programmes and services for improved ECD outcomes.

Last year, DMF and its partners facilitated four YCFs in Bushbuckridge. These meetings brought together the departments of Basic Education and Health, the Local Bushbuckridge Municipality and a combined total of 116 ECD practitioners in the seven communities.

Community Programmes Lead at DMF, Jabu Mthembu-Dlamini, said: “The DO MORE FOUNDATION’s implementation model of bringing partners together for a single ECD agenda has been tried and tested, with the results indicating that more children have their needs met through collective impact.”

The growing participation and commitment of ECD stakeholders in the Young Child Forums underscore the power of sustained collective action in advancing early learning access and securing children's rights in Bushbuckridge. By fostering genuine community participation, DMF’s unique model ensures that children's rights are not merely discussed in meetings but actively championed and implemented by those directly vested in the community's well-being.

As we commemorate Human Rights Month, let us reaffirm our dedication to promoting children's rights through practical grassroots initiatives, recognising that true progress is achieved when communities actively engage in shaping their own future.

*Civil society organisations working in Bushbuckridge include Breadline, Misubishi, Penreach, Kago Ya Bana, Team Frank Africa and Singita