Rama: Building Better Communities with EAT LOVE PLAY TALK
13 Dec 2024
Rama (a Siqalo Foods brand) is helping build better communities across South Africa by enabling the scaling of the DO MORE FOUNDATION’s parent/caregiver support programme, EAT LOVE PLAY TALK (ELPT). This new collaboration, set to be rolled out in 2025, will enable ELPT programme to reach more children, parents, caregivers and Early Childhood Development (ECD) centre practitioners, including in two new communities, Boksburg and Bushbuckridge.
The ELPT’s first point of engagement is emphasizing to programme participants the importance quality nutrition plays in a child’s early years. Engaging parents, caregivers and ECD centre practitioners about what makes up a balanced diet empowers them to plan, purchase and prepare meals that support the prevention of malnutrition and improved health outcomes.
Rama joins DO MORE to scale collective impact
The ELPT programme has already proven to be a vital resource for ECD in seven under-resourced communities across the country - Hammarsdale, Molteno, Nkomazi, Randfontein, Rustenburg, uPhongolo and Worcester. Now, with Rama’s support, the programme will see the number of ECD sites engaged in the ELPT programme increase from 46 to 90, and parent and caregiver participation are estimated to rise from 1,404 to 2,340.
Rama’s involvement reflects its commitment to nurturing South Africa's future. As part of RCL FOODS, the brand has a long-standing history of community development initiatives. Partnering with the DO MORE FOUNDATION aligns with Rama’s mission to promote sustainable growth and improve lives across the country. Rama is now playing a direct role in creating brighter futures for thousands of children.
Rama invests in building a better Boksburg and Bushbuckridge
The expansion into Boksburg (Gauteng) and Bushbuckridge (Mpumalanga) is important because both face nutrition challenges that are representative of the realities faced by many communities in South Africa.
In urban Boksburg, many families often struggle with hidden hunger, resulting from unemployment and financial instability which limits access to balanced diets for the household. Meanwhile, in rural Bushbuckridge, limited dietary diversity, geographical barriers to access food systems, and misconceptions about what is and isn’t healthy result in malnutrition.
The ELPT programme is well-suited for both communities as it offers adaptable, practical solutions for parents, caregivers and ECD practitioners. ELPT promotes affordable, nutrient-dense food options and conversation points to caregivers in Boksburg while empowering caregivers in Bushbuckridge to use locally available resources and indigenous foods all within the same programme.
By supporting ECD centres and integrating nutrition education into daily practices, ELPT fosters sustainable, impactful change across diverse settings, and with Rama coming onboard, there is scaling taking place in both urban and rural settings.
Rama brings DO MORE’s ELPT to Siqalo Foods staff in Boksburg
On 6 November, the DO MORE FOUNDATION Team visited Siqalo Foods Boksburg site to speak with staff about the work the Foundation, in partnership with Rama, will be starting at 10 ECD centres in Boksburg next year. It was also an opportunity for staff to find out about the four-month ELPT workshops tailored for employees that are parents and caregivers of young children.
ELPT: DO MORE’s approach to parent/caregiver nutrition support
The ELPT programme is a cornerstone of the DO MORE FOUNDATION's mission to create better tomorrows for South Africa’s young children, their families and the broader community. Developed by DO MORE and key experts in the wider ECD sector, ELPT is a community-based, light-touch programme that uses the ‘train the trainer’ approach to deliver public health messaging in an interactive way.
ELPT provides a comprehensive, interactive curriculum that supports parents and caregivers in nurturing young children through nutrition literacy, responsive caregiving, play-based learning, and open communication. Through engaging workshops, the programme equips parents and ECD practitioners with practical tools to promote early learning and development.
The aim is to empower parents and caregivers to make small habit changes and healthier nutrition choices for their young children and families. It emphasizes four focus areas essential to holistic development of young children:
EAT – Improving children’s nutrition by promoting food literacy among caregivers and supporting food gardens at ECD sites.
LOVE – Encouraging responsive caregiving to foster secure emotional connections.
PLAY – Using structured play as a tool for cognitive and motor development.
TALK – Enhancing early literacy and communication skills through interactive activities.
Rama to leave a legacy of better communities
This partnership exemplifies the power of collaboration in driving social change. The success of the ELPT programme is not just measured in numbers but in the stories of transformation it fosters. From empowering parents with new skills to seeing children flourish in nurturing environments, the programme creates ripples of impact that extend far beyond its immediate beneficiaries.
As the DO MORE FOUNDATION prepares to expand the ELPT programme into 2025, its partnership with Rama stands as a beacon of hope. Together, they are not just meeting developmental milestones – they are redefining what is possible for South Africa's youngest citizens.
Contact our Project Partnerships Coordinator to work with us to create better tomorrows for South Africa’s young children, their families and communities: lungile.thabethe@domore.org.za