Stories from the field · Indaba Foundation

A hand traces a sandpaper numeral 2 on a green card. — A still from *One Adult at a Time*, the Foundation's film.

Klapmuts, 2021

Fagma Swart brought the training to her own town.

Fagma Swart had heard about Montessori education but could never attend any training. “My heart was always there with Montessori and when I got this chance, I grab it with both my hands. And I see myself changing my school into a more Montessori centre… I also believe that if we can train the children, the children can somehow train their parents and we can become a better community in this next generation.”

After a visit from the CoRE facilitation team in April 2021, she began to transform her classes. “I couldn't even sleep and ran into the shops to find the things that you told me I can find, especially at hospice shops. I've got my small glasses, I've got my trays, I've got my mats, and holders and now I'm getting the feeling of setting my school up the Montessori way.”

Fagma completed the programme in November 2021. She then gathered 21 other women to bring the training that had run in Kayamandi to Klapmuts. Nineteen signed up for the next programme, and Stellenbosch Municipality's Community Development department committed to supporting another round.

Seen from above, a group of women sort rows of fruit and vegetable picture cards on a wooden table. — CoRE practitioners at work during training.

Kayamandi, 2021

Where CoRE in South Africa began.

Kayamandi lies a short distance from the vineyards, universities and technology companies of Stellenbosch. It was chosen as the site for the first CoRE programme in South Africa because it is broadly representative of the educational and wider social needs of communities across the Cape Winelands.

Before the launch, representatives of the Indaba Institute, with the help of Stellenbosch Municipality's Department of Community Development, shared information about the training at sessions of the regional early childhood forum. Seventy practitioners at the first session said they wanted to take part.

Pre-training questionnaires showed the need for training in local languages, so both English and isiXhosa were used. Being able to discuss their work in their own language was, the trainees said, one of the great advantages of the course. Twenty-four days of contact time showed that a meaningful shift in how adults think about and work with children is possible in that span; a second phase, completed by November 2021, added basic literacy in isiXhosa, Afrikaans and English, and 17 practitioners finished with Educateurs sans Frontières certificates.

This partnership ensured that the training was accessible to participants who otherwise would not have had access to quality training.

Indaba Prospectus, 2024on Stellenbosch Municipality's support with transport, catering and venues

What graduates say

From the 2023–⁠2024 cohorts.

On language
“The way the training is being conducted, the way that training accommodates everyone, so you can speak your own language and there's no judgement… the way they explain, it doesn't actually sit in your brain, it goes to your heart also.”
On the child
“You must look at a child as a seed, by preparing the soil, putting some water. You see that one is busy growing underneath, nobody is doing anything, the seed grows on its own… So, it works the same with the child.”
On pressure
“I learnt that you do not need to put children under pressure, that they can do it by themselves. Like when they want to fetch something, they can go by themselves.”

Two young children work with cloths and trays at a low classroom table. — A still from *One Adult at a Time*, the Foundation's film.

A teacher's dream

Pumeza Siwali

Early childhood teacher Ms Pumeza Siwali has a dream: for the children in her care, and for all the children of South Africa. Her story was told on film in Indaba's 2024 overview; we will share it here, in her own words, with her agreement.

A December graduation

More than a hundred women, certificates in hand.

Around twenty women, seated and standing in two rows, hold up their certificates in a bright hall. — CoRE graduates with their certificates. The 2024 Impact Overview places this beside its report of more than 100 women graduating on 3 December.

On 3 December, more than 100 women graduated from CoRE at a ceremony Indaba's overview describes as filled 'with sounds of unrestrained joy and delight'. For many it was the first qualification of their adult lives, earned without leaving the jobs and children that depend on them.

What the stories are, and are not

These are accounts, not measurements. They tell us what the work feels like from inside. The Impact page tells us what it has so far been shown to do.

We keep the two apart on purpose, and we think the stories are stronger for it.