When the classroom becomes a place of shelter

In parts of Limpopo this year, the rains arrived with a force that few families were prepared for.

Roads flooded, homes were damaged, and daily routines were disrupted overnight.

For many adults, the focus immediately turned to safety, repairs, and recovery. For young children, however, the experience was absorbed differently, through uncertainty, broken routines, and the emotions of the adults around them.

In these moments, early childhood development centres quietly became something more than places of learning.

They became places of stability. 

In communities affected by flooding, ECD classrooms offered familiarity when everything else felt unsettled.

Teachers welcomed children with the same songs, the same greetings, and the same gentle structure that signals safety to a young mind.

For a few hours each day, children were able to return to what they know best: play, imagination, and connection. 

This is the often unseen value of early childhood development in South Africa.

Beyond school readiness and long-term outcomes, ECD plays a deeply human role in the present. It supports children emotionally, socially, and psychologically, especially during times of disruption. 

At Afrika Tikkun Bambanani, our work across Limpopo and other communities reminds us daily that young children do not separate learning from life.

A child who feels safe is more willing to explore.

A child who is listened to is more confident to speak. A child who is supported through uncertainty is better equipped to navigate change later on. 

ECD practitioners understand this instinctively.

Many of them are women from the same communities they serve.

They know the families.

They understand the pressures.

And yet, day after day, they create calm, welcoming spaces where children are encouraged to ask questions, make mistakes, and try again.

These moments may seem small, but they are foundational. 

When flooding disrupts a community, it is not only infrastructure that is affected.

Emotional wellbeing, routines, and a sense of normality are shaken. Early learning centres help to restore these quietly and consistently.

They offer children reassurance that even when circumstances change, care and learning continue. 

As South Africa faces increasing environmental uncertainty alongside economic and social pressures, the role of early childhood development becomes even more important.

Investing in ECD is not only an investment in future success,  it is an investment in resilience right now. It strengthens families, supports communities, and ensures that children are not left to carry adult burdens alone. 

The image of a classroom in Limpopo after heavy rains may not make headlines.

But inside, you will often find something remarkable: children laughing, building, listening to stories, and rediscovering a sense of normality. In those moments, ECD is doing exactly what it does best, offering children a safe place to grow, even when the world around them feels uncertain. 

Pascale Bakos is the Head of Communications at Afrika Tikkun Bambanani, where she leads storytelling, impact reporting, and stakeholder engagement across early childhood development programmes. With a background in education and social impact communications, she is passionate about amplifying the voices of children, practitioners, and communities, and about shaping narratives that place early learning at the centre of South Africa’s future.

BUSINESS REPORT