OUR NEWS

The EAT LOVE PLAY TALK (ELPT) programme, a community-driven parenting initiative rooted in evidence and empathy, is proving that simple messages can lead to meaningful change for young children and their caregivers. For example, over the past 18 months, 632 participants across five provinces had been trained in the ELPT programme, reaching 15 communities with vital information about healthy eating, loving relationships, playful learning, and language development. The result? A significant boost in confidence and knowledge among participants, with self-reported confidence levels rising from 58.97% to 73.2% after training. This surge in confidence, coupled with a 7.3% increase in correct answers on key message-related questions, underscores the programme’s effectiveness in empowering participants to make a real difference in their communities. At the centre of this movement is a bold approach: a master training model designed not just to inform, but to ignite.

In rural communities like Bushbuckridge, where many families rely on local clinics as their first point of care, nurses play a vital role in supporting child health and survival. The Department of Health continues to invest in the Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI) strategy to strengthen primary health care. IMCI equips nurses with a structured approach to assess and manage the most common illnesses affecting children under five, improving early detection, treatment, and referral.

Why IMCI Matters IMCI gives the health professionals and nurses updated information around recent or ever changing childhood illness. It enables nurses to assess children holistically rather than treating single symptoms in isolation. For example, a child presenting with fever, cough, and diarrhoea is evaluated comprehensively, considering underlying causes, danger signs, and age-appropriate treatment protocols. This approach is especially important in Bushbuckridge, where malnutrition, respiratory infections, HIV, and limited access to tertiary care overlap. By reinforcing structured assessment and treatment plans, IMCI helps nurses make faster, better-informed decisions that reduce child mortality and improve developmental outcomes.

The Early Childhood Development (ECD) sector plays an important role in supporting the growth and development of young children in South Africa. However, many ECD practitioners face challenges in accessing accredited training, as they are often unable to afford the fees required to further their studies. To help close this gap, the Muir Foundation, through the DO MORE FOUNDATION, assisted a group of practitioners in completing a National Qualifications Framework (NQF) Level 4 training program.

The training contributes to ongoing efforts to support and strengthen ECD practitioners to gain a recognised and accredited qualification. Through this opportunity, practitioners were able to complete the Further Education and Training Certificate in ECD (NQF Level 4), accredited by the Quality Council for Trades and Occupations (QCTO). The qualification is designed to develop understanding and practical skills, helping practitioners improve their learning environments and feel more confident in their work with young children.

In 2025, the DO MORE FOUNDATION, in partnership with Seriti Institute, continued to invest in skills that would address and support nutrition in South Africa by investing directly in young people as change makers.

Through the foundation's flagship ‘Eat Love Play talk (ELPT)’ programme, an innovative initiative that blends early childhood development, public health education, and youth development. Eat Love Play Talk (ELPT) recognises that young people are powerful agents of change and equips them with practical knowledge and skills such as communication, empathy, and message development. By building their capacity to engage meaningfully with caregivers and communities, Eat Love Play Talk (ELPT) is nurturing a new generation of youth leaders who are driving positive health outcomes and reshaping the future of child nutrition from the ground up.

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.