Oppenheimer Memorial Trust

It’s so wonderful when you see work you support having a positive effect on people’s lives. We got that warm glow when our ECD & Youth Fund manager, Nomsa Muthaphuli, attended a feedback session on research into the experiences of 11 students enrolled for the University of South Africa/Universiteit van Suid-Afrika’s (UNISA) Diploma in Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE), in 2024. This was the first cohort of students studying towards the diploma at UNISA, and Save the Children South Africa and UNISA spent the year conducting a study aimed at understanding the experiences of these students in their first year of the diploma, and how these experiences changed over the year with the support provided by the two organisations. The research highlighted the challenges and opportunities experienced by the students and the lecturers. Despite the challenges, all the students successfully completed the programme’s first-year requirements. The research, funded by OMT, produced the report “Building a Sustainable ECCE Workforce”, which has given us a clear overview on how to improve the programme. Learnings from this will help inform the sector on considerations for the professionalisation of the ECCE workforce. What the research shows is that: ✅ ECCE is on a strong growth path in South Africa, with many practitioners having a desire to professionalise if barriers such as finances are removed ✅ To sustain this growth path, we need a social compact to advocate for ECCE ✅ It is important to value students’ personal and professional lives, and to champion change in and through their development as a new set of professionals specifically trained to care for and educate children from birth to four years of age Fifty ECCE practitioners completed the Sivulithuba Tertiary Preparation Programme in 2024, which bridges the educational gap between the Occupational Certificate in ECCE at National Qualifications Framework (NQF) Level 4 (equivalent to matric) and the Diploma in ECCE, at NQF Level 6 (higher education-level diplomas and advanced certificates). These students have now been admitted into the UNISA ECCE diploma for 2025, alongside 250 other students, and we look forward to them successfully completing the diploma and ensuring that our children thrive by five! 📌 Sivulithuba is a collaborative partnership between two resource and training organisations based in KwaZulu-Natal: the non-profit Training Tree and Resources in Early Education) and Midlands Community Foundation.

Our CEO, Tracey Webster, and Higher Education Fund manager, Bailey Corder CA (SA), are just back from Kimberley, where they welcomed the 2025 OMT-sponsored honours cohort at Sol Plaatje University (SPU). These new “OMT students” follow in the footsteps of the first cohort of OMT-sponsored honours students at the university, supported in 2024. Our 2025 cohort will be pursuing honours programmes in Data Sciences, Computer Science, Mathematics, Education, History, Heritage Studies and Sociology. We’re supporting their honours studies because two years of careful research and broad consultation led us to the conclusion that one of the most effective ways to contribute to a more successful South Africa is by bolstering its academic pipeline by funding postgraduate studies to deepen the country’s capabilities in research and innovation. Time and again it has been shown that strong research and development capabilities bolster a country’s economy, and this is what we want for South Africa. Our honours scholarship programme at the university aims to provide students with the financial freedom they need to pursue this critical year of study, which forms a crucial stepping stone into careers in academia or the private sector. We cover their tuition and living costs. We were joined by the university’s Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Andrew Crouch, and its Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research, Innovation and Postgraduate Studies, Prof. Debra Meyer, other members of the university’s research team, academic staff and the 2025 cohort and their families. Tracey and Bailey said they were impressed with the additional support the university offers to its students, such as critical workshops on writing skills and assistance aimed at ensuring positive mental health. “Tracey and I had the opportunity to sit with all the students to get to know them better and understand more about their backgrounds, undergraduate studies, honours topics, and hopes and dreams for the future,” said Bailey. “This was our favourite part of the day, as we were able to gain an understanding of who they are and what this opportunity means to them. It was encouraging to see students who want to apply their knowledge to real-world problems, such as sustainable energy; and teachers wanting to investigate curriculum development and language studies, preserving the history of our multicultural society and how we can learn from our past to shape our future. Two students from the 2024 cohort, Katelin Thomas and Keamogetse Maijane, gave some advice to the new cohort that can work for all of us: 📝 Don’t be afraid to ask for help 📝 While the road may be difficult, trust yourself to persevere and you’ll get there in the end We wish our 2025 cohort the best of luck as they hit the books! #OMT #HigherEducation

Recently, our Basic Education Fund manager, Vuyiswa Ncontsa, had the privilege of participating in an intern support workshop organised by the Global Teachers Institute (GTI), a non-profit teacher development network dedicated to recruiting, selecting and supporting young pre-service teachers through extended internships in partner schools. The interns, who are studying towards Bachelor of Education degrees via distance learning, spend three to four days a week in schools getting crucial practical experience. “These extended internship programmes came about as a result of weak university teaching practice programmes that were, or are, not well resourced to produce resilient, fit-for-purpose teachers. Meeting this group of teacher interns and listening to their reflections reminded me of one of our values as OMT, the value of tenacity,” says Vuyiswa. “We define it as being courageous, fearless and never giving up, no matter how hard the journey. The session was facilitated by one of their mentors, who started as an intern herself 10 years earlier. Having done the hard yards and armed with the lived experience of navigating the challenging terrain of studying via distance learning, she had the experience, the skills and the passion to guide for the current interns. “This mentor kicked off the workshop by inviting reflections on the State of the Nation Address that had happened the day before, emphasising the importance of being informed about and aware of current affairs. While some of the students had not had time to watch the address, those who did had strong views about the cost of the event when that money could have been invested in priority areas of education.” Here are Vuyiswa’s takeaways from her visit: ✏️ Having a mentor with relevant experience fosters authenticity and provides interns with much-needed support ✏️ The GTI’s selection process emphasises candidates with a can-do mindset, people who are eager to make a difference in their schools ✏️ Many of the interns willingly take on opportunities to substitute for colleagues, demonstrating their commitment to learning and increasing their level of on-the-job experience ✏️ While young interns benefit from experienced teachers, the experienced teachers often benefit from the interns’ affinity with technology integration ✏️ It’s crucial for interns to advocate for their study time amid school responsibilities ✏️ Regularly reinforcing commitments with partner schools is essential to ensure the fair treatment of interns These workshops play a vital role in supporting both the professional development and psychosocial needs of our interns. By investing in their growth, we are contributing to a more robust educational landscape in South Africa. #OMT #BasicEducation

Meet another of our scholarship alumni, Nonkululeko Vilakazi, a drama and movement science therapist who is working on a mental health workbook for South African schools. Nonkululeko’s scholarship took her to London, where she completed a master’s degree in drama and movement therapy at the University of London’s, The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. What’s more, Nonkululeko is passing her knowledge and experience on to others – she lectures at master’s level in the theory and practice of drama, movement therapy and play therapy at the University of the Witwatersrand. This is what our higher education scholarships are about: supporting excellence and deepening South Africa’s academic abilities. She explains what OMT’s scholarship means to her in this video: https://lnkd.in/dvhtAaDc #OMT #HigherEducation

We’re so excited to be doing real, practical work that will have a lasting, positive ripple effect throughout South African society. Here’s our CEO, Tracey Webster, explaining to SAfm radio host Bridget Masinga how and why we’re working with the Department of Basic Education (DBE) to ensure that every child in South Africa has access to a quality early childhood development (ECD) programme. ⭐ We’re looking to collaborate with other philanthropies and social impact investment organisations to raise R160-million for a private sector-managed infrastructure fund. This fund will help ECD programmes that do not meet the DBE’s registration requirements improve their infrastructure and programmes so that they can be registered. This will unlock R590-million in government funding (R17 per child per day) ⭐ We have seconded our ECD & Youth Fund manager, Nomsa Muthaphuli, to the project management team for the DBE’s Bana Pele mass ECD registration team, aimed at ensuring all ECD programmes in South Africa meet the requirements for registration with the DBE You can listen to Tracey explain the details here (from 5 minutes onwards) https://lnkd.in/dvBq2DDN SABC Oppenheimer Memorial Trust #OMT #ECD #EarlyChildhoodDevelopment #BanaPele #SouthAfrica

Supporting arts and culture is a primary pillar of the work we do. The Forgotten Angle Theatre Collaborative’s My Body My Space: Public Arts Festival is a perfect example of the reason we feel supporting the arts is so vital to South Africa’s success. Our goal is to fund visual and performing arts initiatives that produce uniquely South African content that inspires audiences, develops young talent, and contributes to building a vibrant and thriving sector. This festival ticks all those boxes. 📆 10 to 15 March 2025 📍 eNtokozweni (Machadodorp), Mpumalanga Details: https://lnkd.in/dStsFgzF  https://lnkd.in/dCx3CaMf Here’s what the festival’s managing and artistic director, PJ Sabbagha, has to say about this year’s edition of this unique and transformative two-week event. #OMT #ArtCulture

South Africa is rightfully celebrating its highest matric pass rate yet, 87.3%. However, as our Basic Education Fund manager Vuyiswa Ncontsa points out, there are still a lot of reasons to collaborate to improve our country’s education system, from early childhood development level to post-matric. #OMT #BasicEducation #ECD #HigherEducation

Scaling access to quality early childhood education: How CSI can help Early childhood development (ECD) could be a catalyst for change in South Africa. Yet, millions of children still miss out on the foundation they need to thrive. Corporate social investment (CSI) has a crucial role to play in making quality ECD accessible to every child - but how can businesses drive real impact in this space? In Trialogue’s first webinar of 2025, hosted in partnership with the Oppenheimer Memorial Trust, experts unpacked the biggest challenges and opportunities in scaling access to ECD programmes through the Department of Basic Education's mass registration drive. From funding gaps to infrastructure and policy alignment, the discussion highlighted where CSI can make a difference to help ECD centres unlock more funding. How can your organisation contribute to sustainable ECD solutions? Watch the webinar and be part of the conversation: https://lnkd.in/dfTcMTTJ Trialogue, supporting better business

What is truth and what does it have to do with politics? Find out how University of the Witwatersrand doctoral candidate in political philosophy Matthew Hestenes is using his OMT scholarship to delve into this eternal question. Find out more here: https://lnkd.in/dJBaZh3V #OMT #OMTAlumni #HigherEducation

Our ECD & Youth Fund manager Nomsa Muthaphuli recently spent two days visiting the Grassroots Educare Trust, a non-governmental organisation that empowers communities to deliver quality early childhood development (ECD) outcomes. The trust supports disadvantaged women in informal settlements and on farms throughout the Western Cape to ensure that young children in these communities have access to quality ECD programmes. On request, it also works with communities in other provinces. What we love about the Grassroots Educare Trust is that the process of participatory learning is central to its philosophy. Participatory learning focuses on the children, encouraging learning through actions, using small groups, concrete materials, open questioning and peer teaching. Nomsa spent her first day with 25 ECD practitioners and principals who enrolled in Grassroots’ Site Learning Programme, a registered initiative aimed at giving ECD practitioners skills in working with children, lesson planning and understanding the education outcomes they want to achieve in their work with the children. Nomsa says she was heartened to see the Grassroots Educare Trust’s Babies and Toddlers training in action on her second day, when she witnessed how children under two were learning from an ECD practitioner who had been through the programme. We also love that trust director Mareldia Tape continues to develop new material based on what Grassroots’ staff learn on the ground as they interact with ECD practitioners. We can’t wait to see the achievements of this innovative and deeply involved NGO this year! #OMT #ECD