Evaluation of the Sobambisana Initiative

In 2008, Ilifa commissioned five non-profit organisations to test various models of community-based ECD across four South African provinces. This resulted in a four-year programme known as the Sobambisana (Togetherness) Initiative.

The Sobambisana Initiative comprised of five kinds of interventions:

1. home visits to caregivers and children

2. community playgroups with parent education components

3. community playgroups without parent education components

4. centre and school-based interventions

5. advocacy for improved and integrated services for children among regional and local government officials and civil society organisations.

This learning brief is a summary of the evaluation and the broader implications of the Sobambisana Initiative for ECD in South Africa.

Written by Andy Dawes, Linda Biersteker, and Lynn Hendriks. Published by Ilifa in May 2012.