Philanthropic organisations, ELMA Philanthropies, DG Murray Trust, and the UBS Optimus Foundation co-founded Ilifa Labantwana (“children’s legacy” in IsiZulu) in 2007 to support the implementation of South Africa’s National Integrated Plan for ECD of 2005. Ilifa’s first approach was to test a strategy for integrating the delivery of services targeting children who are most at risk of being excluded.
From the very beginning, we understood that the massive scale of inequality, poverty, and injustice in our country requires a systemic response. Our work has evolved from programmatic demonstrations to research to government technical support to systems orchestration – all within a constantly shifting political and fiscal context.
The specific nature of work has shifted over the past two decades, but our mission has remained constant: to strengthen and support the ECD ecosystem, enabling children and women from low-income households to benefit from quality early childhood services.