13/08/2026
Part 2 / 2
Yesterday we shared four stories from farmers in Riverlands and Chatsworth who've moved from receiving support to building something of their own. Here's why those stories matter to Goedgedacht.
A child's development can't be separated from the wellbeing of the family and community around them. From pregnancy until around age 22, children need nutritious food, secure homes, access to learning, and realistic opportunities for their future. When parents can produce food and earn an income, children eat better, stay in school, and grow up in more stable households.
The meeting also reminded us of something important: sustainable development isn't measured by how many seeds, wheelbarrows or water tanks an organisation hands out. Our earlier approach leaned too heavily on distributing inputs. The Social Employment Fund starts differently — helping people understand production, economics and markets, so progress is measured by what they produce and how independent they become.
Real barriers remain: poor soil, limited water, difficulty entering markets. But the most encouraging part of that meeting was watching farmers already mentoring one another — participants becoming trainers, knowledge spreading, networks forming that will outlast any one programme.
That's what sustainable development should achieve: people moving from beneficiaries to producers, mentors and business owners. By strengthening livelihoods today, we strengthen the families that carry children through their first 8,000 days.
Every child has only one childhood. Building stronger families helps us make those days count.
