How Hot Cares is helping Orange Farm educators stay qualified and employed

In the heart of Orange Farm, the future of early childhood education rests in the hands of women and men who show up every day for the youngest members of their community – often with very little support of their own.

For years, Edu-Build Institute’s Orange Farm campus has been a lifeline for local Early Childhood Development (ECD) practitioners. Under the leadership of principal Helga Bitschnau, the campus has gone above and beyond to empower educators, with Helga personally ensuring that around R90,000 in fees and learning opportunities were covered for those who simply couldn’t afford formal training.

Now, with new Department of Basic Education regulations in place, the pressure on these practitioners has intensified. ECD centres – many surviving on government grants of just R350 per child – must ensure their staff obtain recognised qualifications or risk losing critical subsidies and, ultimately, the ability to operate. For practitioners who are already struggling to meet their own household needs, the cost of formal training is completely out of reach.

That’s where Hot Cares felt we had to step in.

Edu-Build’s NQF Level 4 Early Childhood Development Practitioner qualification is a one-year, part-time course designed to give educators the skills, confidence, and professional standing they need to plan and facilitate quality, play-based learning. At the Orange Farm campus, three hardworking practitioners have been identified as needing this qualification to remain compliant and continue their vital work with local children.

Thanks to the generosity of our Hot 102.7FM listeners, Hot Cares will be covering the full cost of three bursaries – up to R42,000 – to secure their places on the course.

By investing in these educators, we’re not just funding training. We’re protecting livelihoods, strengthening ECD centres that feed and care for Orange Farm’s children, and helping to safeguard a brighter future for the community they serve every single day.