Eastern Cape: The Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA), through its Corporate Social Investment (CSI) programme, officially handed over two newly constructed Early Childhood Development (ECD) centres in the Winnie Madikizela Mandela Local Municipality, Alfred Nzo District.
This milestone forms part of DBSA’s broader ECD infrastructure strategy, implemented in partnership with rural development organisation Impande, to strengthen safe, dignified, and developmentally appropriate learning environments in underserved communities.
Zeph Nhleko, DBSA Chief Economist and Group Executive for Strategy, and Sustainability at the DBSA “Every child deserves to learn, grow, and dream in a safe and dignified environment. By investing in ECD infrastructure, DBSA is laying the foundation for not only Early Childhood development but for future long term economic participation. These centres are not just buildings — they are investments in the future resilience of our communities.”
A national, integrated approach to ECD support
Through its CSI programme, DBSA has supported over 130 ECD centres across South Africa. DBSA’s integrated approach to ECD goes beyond infrastructure and includes practitioner training, nutrition, and health services, delivered through a network of implementation partners — strengthening the conditions for children to thrive and communities to build lasting resilience.
Transforming Early Learning in Vulnerable Communities
Across South Africa’s rural districts, thousands of children spend their earliest years in unsafe, overcrowded, and infrastructure constrained spaces; often without adequate sanitation, water access, or compliant learning facilities. DBSA’s intervention directly addresses these challenges byreplacing unsafe structures with modern facilities that restore dignity, improve safety, and create the conditions for quality early learning.
Impact Highlights:
- Mfundambini Preschool: New facility with classroom, kitchen, office, veranda, perimeter fencing, water harvesting system, and improved ablution facilities. Supports 27 enrolled children.
- Imvumelwano Preschool: New facility with two classrooms, kitchen, office, veranda, five pour flush toilets, perimeter fencing, and water harvesting system. Supports 44 enrolled children.
Together, these centres will provide safe learning spaces for more than 70 children, while also serving as community anchors for nutrition, caregiver participation, health access, and social stability.
These centres represent hope and opportunity. They ensure that children in rural areas can access safe, developmentally appropriate learning spaces, while families benefit from stronger community anchors that support nutrition, health, and social stability.
ECD is the foundation of human capital development and a critical starting point for “Building Africa’s Prosperity.” DBSA’s CSI programme views ECD investment as a catalyst for longterm resilience and strengthening vulnerable communities, supporting compliance pathways for ECD centres, and contributing to South Africa’s broader development agenda.
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Author: Elsabe Booyens from Red Cherry Interactive on behalf of DBSA.
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