Creating spaces where young minds can thrive

Matla invests in new infrastructure at Siyakhula Early Childhood Development (ECD) Centre in Ga-Nala.

A strong start in education begins with a safe and supportive place to learn. Through our partnership with HOPE worldwide South Africa, a non-profit organisation specialising in early childhood development (ECD), Matla is strengthening learning environments for young children in our host communities.

The project includes two fully equipped classrooms, a kitchen, ablution facilities, an office and new furniture, giving young learners an improved environment in which to learn, play and develop.

The handover brought together community members, local government and development partners, reflecting the value of partnership in responding to identified needs within our communities.

“It is important for such initiatives to take place, and we are happy that the government will be working with with organisations such as Exxaro to uplift our communities,” said Local Councillor, Sonia Liebenberg.

The investment at Siyakhula forms part of our broader focus on strengthening early childhood development in our host communities in line with our social impact strategy. In 2024, Exxaro partnered with HOPE worldwide South Africa to assess the needs of ECD centres across its host communities. Following assessments at 199 centres in Belfast, Delmas and Kriel, 30 centres were selected for development, with Siyakhula among the first to benefit.

As the programme reaches more centres, the focus remains on addressing identified educational and infrastructure needs and strengthening the environments where children begin their learning journeys.