ClemenGold Foundation

21/10/2026

We believe that running a successful ECD centre requires both a practical head for business and a heart for children.

Our ECD principals and practitioners attended the Me and My Money workshop presented by GROW ECD, gaining valuable knowledge and practical skills to strengthen their financial management.

Thank you to Grow ECD for this valuable learning opportunity and for equipping our principals and practitioners with skills that support stronger, more sustainable ECD centres.

15/10/2026

We’re proud to see the progress being made at the Du Roi Nursery creche, where a recent assessment through the ClemenGold Foundation’s Teacher Toolbox programme achieved an impressive 83% overall score – the highest among 14 participating ECD centres around Letsitele! 👏

This achievement reflects the commitment to providing young children with a safe, nurturing and stimulating environment where they can learn, grow and build a strong foundation for their future schooling.

Through Teacher Toolbox, we work alongside ECD practitioners to strengthen the quality of early childhood development through practical support, resources and ongoing development.

Congratulations to Anne-Hélène Meyer, Jackie Eland and the entire Du Roi Nursery team on this wonderful achievement!

Knowing that your child is safe, cared for and learning in a nurturing environment makes all the difference when you head to work each day – especially in rural areas like ours where villages are often far from work centres.

For Du Roi Nursery employees with young children, the on-site creche provides that reassurance. “The creche started in 1990 – under a tree – and moved to the first classroom in 1991. Since then, the creche has prepared hundreds of children for school,” says Anne-Hélène Meyer, general manager.

In a recent audit by the ClemenGold Foundation’s Teacher Toolbox programme it achieved 83% - the highest overall score among 14 ECD centres around Tzaneen that are participating in the Teacher Toolbox programme.

The assessment, conducted using Grow ECD’s assessment tool, evaluates 9 key areas of centre management and care, from governance, staffing and infrastructure to health and safety, nutrition, the classroom environment, and teaching and learning.

The creche achieved 100% for Nutrition and Food Safety, 93% for its Teaching and Learning Programme, 92% for its Classroom Environment, and 88% for both Infrastructure and Health & Safety. “We want to give children the strongest possible start to their schooling, and we know this depends on all the areas that were evaluated,” says Jackie Eland, Creche Administrator.

08/10/2026

Our recent Ignite Youth Camp brought together young people from Swellendam, Ashton, Robertson and, for the first time, Citrusdal!

For four days, the wilderness became their classroom.

Away from the distractions of everyday life, learners were challenged physically, emotionally and mentally through adventure-based learning, teamwork, reflection and mentorship. Each experience created an opportunity to step outside their comfort zones, build resilience, communicate, lead and discover strengths within themselves.

Different communities, different backgrounds and many learners meeting for the very first time. Yet, it didn’t take long for new friendships to form, experiences to be shared and, of course, plenty of fun to be had.

Facilitated by our long-standing youth development partner, Usiko Stellenbosch, Ignite Youth Camp is about much more than the adventure itself. It is about helping young people better understand who they are, recognise what they have to offer and grow in confidence about where they are headed.

The mountains may be part of the journey, but some of the most important ones they overcome are within.

22/09/2026

A bucket of sand can help in an emergency. But having the right equipment can make all the difference.

Through our Green Growth Girls programme, we were able to provide fire extinguishers to the ECD centres participating in our Teacher Toolbox Programme.

At one centre, the difference is simple but powerful: a bucket filled with sand has been replaced with a proper fire extinguisher, ready to be used when it matters most.

This is the kind of practical impact we want to see through our Teacher Toolbox Programme: equipping ECD practitioners with the training and resources they need to meet real needs and create safer spaces for children.

Green Growth Girls training sessions are supported by GIZ through the Employment Promotion for Women for the Green Transformation in Africa – WE4D Programme commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ); Co-funded by the European Union through regional and bilateral Team Europe Initiatives (TEIs) and Norway.

16/09/2026

Safety is a skill we can teach.

How do we help children and young people recognise when something doesn’t feel right, speak up when they feel unsafe, and know where to turn for help?

That’s the thinking behind our Protective Behaviours Southern Africa workshop.

Protective Behaviours is a prevention and life skills programme that builds confidence, resilience and practical skills to help people of all ages respond to situations that may feel difficult, unsafe or uncomfortable.

Through the programme, participants learn to:
• recognise unsafe situations and trust their feelings
• understand personal boundaries
• communicate when something doesn’t feel right
• identify safe people and support networks
• know how and when to ask for help

These are skills that can stay with a person for life.

By equipping the adults who work with children, we can help create environments where children feel safer, more confident and better able to speak up.

Because prevention starts with giving people the knowledge and confidence to protect themselves and others.

11/09/2026

🧦 It's Funky Socks Day! 🧦

PNA - Colour your World Funky Socks Day supports Breadline Africa, one of our valued partners who's helping us bring the Vhula Tindzumulo ECD Centre to life. Every sticker sold and every funky pair worn helps create safe, dignified spaces where young children can play, learn and dream.

So today, show us your funkiest socks and join us in celebrating partners like Breadline Africa who are building brighter futures - one classroom, one centre, one child at a time.

01/09/2026

What a difference the right support can make.

Earlier this year, we identified a need for Leon, a 4-year-old boy living with cerebral palsy whose creche is supported through our Teacher Toolbox Programme. Leon is unable to sit, roll, crawl or walk independently, and as he's grown, it's become harder for him to participate in anything in school.

Leon is now supported by an occupational therapist from Tzaneen, Carla van Zyl, who trains and supports his teacher and grandmother to better include him in the classroom and at home. She recommended a specialised OT standing frame to better support his posture and positioning and aids him in standing up and doing a lot more activities. Previously he could only sit in his buggy or lie down. The ClemenGold Foundation and Sukumani Dream made this chair available to him.

Leon was ecstatic when he could stand for the first time. For him and his family, this means more than a piece of equipment. It means greater comfort and the chance to take part more fully in everyday life.

A special thank you to 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗹𝗮 𝘃𝗮𝗻 𝗭𝘆𝗹, whose heart for community service shows in everything she does. Carla continues to work closely with Leon, supporting his development every step of the way.

We're so thankful to everyone who made this possible. One small adjustment and a whole new world open up to a child.

24/08/2026

Quality early childhood education starts with well-supported teachers.

This is the Teacher Toolbox Programme in action - equipping creche teachers with the practical resources, training, and support they need to create engaging classrooms and set learners up for lasting success.

Here's a short look at the programme in action.

Want to go a little deeper? Watch the full video for a closer look at the programme and the difference it is making.

👉 Full video: https://youtu.be/-YYFisfiXOc

21/08/2026

At first, there’s almost disbelief. “This one is mine?”

Then the teacher writes their names in the book.

And suddenly, their little faces light up. They realise this isn’t just a book they get to read today. This book is mine. Not the classroom's. Not on loan. Mine. They can take it home, look through it again and again, share it with someone they love, and build their very own little collection of stories.

For some of these children, owning a book is a brand-new experience. And that’s why moments like these matter.

Because a book can be so much more than a story. It can be the beginning of a love for reading, a spark of imagination, and a reminder that this is yours. This story belongs to you.

A big thank you to Book Dash for helping us put more books into little hands and, hopefully, opening the door to many more stories to come.

18/08/2026

Sometimes, it’s good to pause and invest in the people behind the work.

Our team is spread across different places, so getting everyone in one room doesn’t happen often.

Last week it did, for a Staying Strong session with Free To Grow, focusing on wellbeing, connection and how we can better support one another. It was a chance to step away from the day-to-day, reflect, have some honest conversations and simply connect as a team.

It’s easy to focus all our energy outward - on the youth, the ECD practitioners and the women in our programmes. But every so often, it’s worth turning that same care inward.

Because before we can grow people, we have to grow together.