Education Programmes for Kids &Teachers, Cape Town

Thank you very much for supporting ORT SA CAPE's educational programmes through CHW's page on GlobalGiving! Children in Cape Town are now receiving a better quality of education, thanks to your help!

Below is an update from Bev, at ORT SA CAPE. 

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Together, we can build a future full of HOPE, OPPORTUNITY and EDUCATION for all.

At ORT SA CAPE, we believe that every child deserves access to quality education that is engaging, relevant, and geared towards the future. As a long-standing education NGO [non-governmental organisation], our approach is rooted in the belief that meaningful learning begins with curiosity, is strengthened through relationships, and is sustained through intentional support for educators.

We design and deliver training programmes that equip teachers with the skills, confidence, and tools they need to create inclusive, joyful, and developmentally appropriate learning environments, particularly in under-resourced communities.

This report covers activities carried out [since our last report to CHW for GlobalGiving].

ORT SA CAPE offered the LEGO Play Box introductory course during this period. The sessions were held on 23 July and 18 August, a total of 66 educators attended the two sessions.

Every participating teacher receives a LEGO DUPLO Play Box, valued at R8 000, ensuring that the training translates directly into enriched daily practice for children. The combination of specialist training plus high-quality resources represents a sustainable and unique investment in both
teacher capacity and learner outcomes. Annually, this programme supports over 1 000 educators and 30 000 learners [pupils].

Teachers’ feedback about the training

After the course, teachers are asked to complete a short online survey to reflect on the experience. Key points from participants’ feedback are summarised below.

What teachers appreciated most about the training:

• Teachers valued learning that children learn best through play and doing, rather than through listening alone, and several described feeling more confident and excited to apply this in their own classrooms.
• The training's focus on social and emotional learning stood out for many, who noted the importance of treating every child as unique and responding to how children are feeling.
• Many teachers appreciated discovering that LEGO and DUPLO bricks serve a range of purposes beyond building, supporting skills such as counting, sharing and teamwork.
• Teachers found value in learning that a calmer, gentler approach with children helps sessions run more smoothly and effectively.
• The hands-on, practical style of the training was widely appreciated, with teachers describing it as more engaging than being talked through the content.
• Facilitator engagement was again a highlight, with teachers describing the session as enjoyable, powerful and clearly explained.

What will change in teachers' practice:

* "I will also be part of their play."
* "I will apply the breathing exercise to my morning routine and teach the children through
play so that they enjoy learning."
* "I will manage children's feelings better and use more play to help them learn."
* "I will show the children the different activities we can do with LEGO blocks. I'm very
excited."
* "I will include LEGO activities in fun ways that support children's feelings and bring calm to
the classroom."
* "I will play more and include more practical, fun games with the children."
* "Today was amazing. It really helped me realise that you can do anything with
blocks through play. Thank you."


Impact Story

Zintle is an early childhood development practitioner who teaches a class of three to four year olds at Phakamani Educare. She
is 31 years old, and she has one year of experience as a qualified teacher, having worked for three years before that as a teaching
assistant.

What changed?

Since the training, Zintle has introduced new lesson plans and activities built around LEGO. She now teaches Maths by having
children build with and count LEGO bricks rather than working with numbers alone: they can respond correctly when she asks for a specific number of bricks, and just as well when she swaps the resource for buttons. She has adapted activities in her own way too, using LEGO to teach shapes and colours and to practise counting by having children count the buttons on the bricks. LEGO has also become part of her storytelling: she uses the pieces to tell stories to her class, and her learners now tell their own stories with them in turn. She also uses the resource for classroom management, offering LEGO play as a reward or when learners lose focus, and for outdoor play at a school with limited play resources.

How is this different to how they were before?

Before the training, reading was Zintle's main way of introducing new concepts, and she found it hard to hold every child's attention, with only some learners staying engaged. She says her teaching is now more effective as a result of the training: “I explain Maths better, the resource is attractive and everyone is hands on.”
A particular change Zintle has observed is in her shy and struggling learners, who previously tended to disengage. She notes that they now want to take part and “show off” alongside their classmates, and that children who used to work alone are now talking and contributing more when working in pairs and groups.

How has the programme supported this change?

The Play Box training gave Zintle both the resource and practical ideas for using it in her classroom, which she has drawn on directly in her lesson planning. She also shares how she has learned with colleagues at her centre who did not attend the training, including them in her planning so that their learners can have the same experience. Three teachers share the LEGO Play Box, each using the resources at a different time during the day. Zintle describes the ORT training as having renewed her enjoyment of teaching, and says she now feels better able to reach her shy and struggling learners.


Professionalising early education

ORT SA CAPE transforms South Africa’s Early Childhood Development (ECD) sector through comprehensive training and entrepreneurship support. The ECD sector suffers from inequality of access, lack of training and resources, and limited support in rural and peri-urban areas. Children in
these communities are further disadvantaged by the absence of coordinated, long-term CSI interventions. With 71% of children under six living in poverty and nearly half of ECD practitioners lacking the necessary qualifications, we address this challenge head-on. Through QCTO and SETA accredited Level 1 and 4 ECD qualifications and specialised short courses, we’ve equipped hundreds of practitioners with essential teaching skills, transforming classrooms across the Western Cape.

Our approach extends beyond teacher training to include food relief, classroom resources, teaching assistant programmes, and leadership development through our Principals’ Network Forums. We offer specialised business skills development bootcamps for ECD owners and principals, creating sustainable improvement across the entire ECD ecosystem while building entrepreneurial capacity.


Principal Networking: enhancing personal and professional development

We strengthen ECD leadership by encouraging principals to see themselves not only as educators, but also as business leaders of sustainable centres. This dual focus bridges the gap between pedagogy and enterprise, equipping principals to lead with both educational excellence and operational strength. Our approach combines bi-monthly networking, peer learning and professional development sessions.

The programme demonstrates that stronger leadership results in higher-quality teaching, more resilient ECD centres, and communities that are empowered through education. During the reporting period, we held a session on 26 August with 39 principals attending the Principal Networking session. The session focused on Nutrition in the Early Years and the importance of healthy eating on brain development.


Annual Elevate and Connect ECD Conference

ORT SA CAPE’s inaugural Elevate and Connect ECD Conference was held at Lagoon Beach Hotel on 31 July 2026. It brought together ECD leaders, practitioners, educators, funders, partners, government officials and change makers to explore the future of early learning. Special guests included Prof Jonathan Jansen and Deputy Mayor, Alderman Eddie Andrews.

The conference was a celebration of the people, partnerships and possibilities shaping the ECD sector in South Africa and was attended by 144 delegates. The day was filled with thought-provoking discussions, practical insights and meaningful connections, all centred on strengthening
the early years and creating lasting impact for children.


Thank you

At ORT SA CAPE, we believe in the transformative potential of education and are committed to ensuring that everyone, regardless of their circumstances, has access to meaningful learning opportunities.
Thank you to the CHW for your continued support of our education initiatives, allowing us to impact more lives and uplift communities.

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We are excited to share with you that GlobalGiving will be offering matching funds on Giving Tuesday, a global day of doing good. From 5 am (UK time) on 1 December, all contributions will be partially matched. If you would like to support ORT SA CAPE's work again, then your help will go extra far on Giving Tuesday and the impact you make will reach even more children!

Thank you for giving these children the incredibly important gift of a good education!

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With thanks to Bev at ORT SA CAPE for the photos accompanying the report.