A lack of preschools and early learning opportunities in rural Eastern Cape communities prompted Asekho Motabene to co-found Sikhula Sonke in 2020, an initiative aimed at helping children build a strong foundation before entering formal schooling.
Motabene said the project was started after recognising the barriers that prevented many children from accessing early childhood development, leaving them unprepared when they reached school-going age.
“There are so many children that actually don't start well,” Motabene said.
"From five years of age, you go straight to school; you've never been taught anything, how to hold a pen or how to socialise; your mind has never been stimulated, and you never even owned a book,” Motabene said.
“We started Sikhula Sonke because we wanted to bridge that gap.
"We wanted to give every young person, especially in rural areas, an opportunity to start well in life and to thrive.”
The organisation works with rural communities, townships and informal settlements to identify areas where children have limited access to early learning facilities.
It helps communities establish their own early learning centres within villages, providing children with educational resources, nutritious food and an environment where they can develop before starting primary school.
Motabene, who grew up in the Eastern Cape, said she understood how much a child's early education could influence their future.
“I understand the importance of education. I understand that if you don't start well, you probably don't have good chances of making it in life,” she said.
She said one of the communities they worked with did not have either a primary school or a preschool, making access to education difficult for young children.
She said being named a Daily Dispatch Local Hero came as a surprise to her.
“I thought they probably had the wrong number. I was like, are you sure it's me?” Motabene said.
Motabene sees the nomination as an opportunity to share the organisation's work and encourage others to contribute.
“It's not really about me. It's about others realising that they can do that to another person as well.”
In five years, she hopes every South African village will have access to quality early learning centres.
