Service Review and Results
Established in Alexandra in 2007, Masenze Ikusasa addresses the need for practical courses for individuals not pursuing an academic pathway. Our programmes equip participants with essential skills to provide quality care and education in ECD Centres, covering first aid, resource and toy-making, routines and administration. From one course in 2007 to seven in 2023, we are committed to expanding our reach through strategic partnerships across Gauteng.
Learn more about our activities and results in our profile presentation, by clicking the button below:
About Masenze Ikusasa
Masenze Ikusasa started training in Alexandra in June 2007 and has been training mostly in Alexandra and surrounding areas since then. The training course was developed by Carolyn Reid and Deyana Thomas with an emphasis on hands-on skills training, making teaching and learning resources from waste and local natural materials. With credit to the Curriculum Development Trust who gave permission for us to use some of the content and methodologies used in this course.
We started the courses at a time when there were not many options for childcare workers who did not meet the educational criteria for formal training, to gain basic Early Childhood Development (ECD) skills. Many of these people had low educational levels as they were older people looking after children in their homes. It was originally just supposed to be a once-off course but word got around to others and it became a regular course. This led to an NGO getting registered for the purpose of offering this basic ECD skills course.
We have built up an inspired and competent team of 12 facilitators who have all completed the course themselves and are passionate about sharing their knowledge with others.
To date, we have worked mainly in Alexandra and surrounding suburbs and have trained 492 practitioners with a positive influence on 311 day care centres, for the benefit and development of approximately 16500 children in Alexandra and surrounds. In partnering with Seeds of Africa in 2018 we have increased our Gauteng footprint. Through their courses alone we have trained 186 practitioners, impacted 168 day care centres and made an impact on approximately 5000 children.
Beauty (Coordinator) & Carolyn (Director)
2019 Facilitating Team
What Sets Us Apart?
Our practical and hands-on approach to training, together with our implementation based tasks, give practitioners the ability to practise their new knowledge in their workplace with support from the facilitators every step of the way. This helps them to develop good practise in a scaffolded manner and at the same time provides them with the tools and learning resources to make changes in their centres that will provide the children with stimulating and safe learning environments.
Friendly and knowledgeable facilitators with a passion for what they do.
Provision of basic materials – starter packs – and resources to enable practitioners to put new ideas and knowledge into practise.
Continuous support from facilitators during the course as they implement new materials in their centres.
Hands-on practical training methods.
Site visits to help and support implementation.
Encouraging creativity through using waste resources to make toys and teaching resources.
Provision of a comprehensive training manual as well as a folder of master copies of forms and pictures.
Help us create a solid future through our children!
The future of our country relies on the maturity and skills of our children.
But most of these children do not have access to quality early childhood development and will struggle throughout their schooling and advanced academic opportunities.
Your small donation can make a difference right now!