• Strengthening the ECD ecosystem
Reviewing our Work
Case Studies
Our Story Of Change
From programme design to shifting policy
Shaping the regulatory environment so all ECD programmes are recognised and included
Increasing funding for ECD
Responding to the Covid-19 pandemic
Harnessing strategic communications to promote caregiver behavioural change
Data-driven decision making and knowledge
Strengthening the ECD ecosystem

Given the complexity of systems work and understanding our limitations, Ilifa has forged strong allegiances with trusted partners. They allow Ilifa to focus on parts of the ECD ecosystem, understanding what their partners are more adept at, and learning from this. Ilifa plays a convening role amongst its core collaborators, which include civil society, funders and some government departments.

The challenge

Through Sobambisana, we learnt three key lessons: the importance of effective systems, the need for large-scale community-based programmes to ensure population-level coverage and that close collaboration with government departments is crucial. All these components were missing from the ECD ecosystem. Ilifa could not undertake all these roles. During this phase, certain funders were also looking at funding system-wide strategies for ECD.

Timeline of activities

2007
2007

2014
2014

  • As part of our previous strategy to drive innovation in the early years, Ilifa incubated early years investor, Innovation Edge.

2015
2015

  • Ilifa supported the funding of SmartStart, South Africa’s first ECD social franchise with a bold ambition to expand access to quality early learning for all children through community-based early learning sites.

2018
2018

  • Ilifa’s research and learning briefs on the first 1,000 days highlighted the gap in ECD provisioning for this cohort and contributed to the establishment of the Grow Great Campaign. Grow Great seeks to galvanise South Africa towards achieving zero-stunting by 2030.

2020
2020

  • Ilifa’s role as a strong technical advisor to the government was cemented, demonstrating how government and social partners can collaborate.

2021
2021

  • Ilifa led the convening of social partners committed to ensuring universal access to the Essential Package of ECD services.

2022
2022

  • Ilifa supported the Department of Basic Education as it took up responsibility for ECD.

The big shifts

  • Strengthened partnerships led to a formalised agreement, in 2018, between a core set of partners and the Department of Social Development called the Conditional Grant Consortium. Ilifa played a leading role in driving the partnership, which enabled many of the successes described in this document. 
  • Over the past few years, we harnessed a coalition of partners towards a joint vision and resource mobilisation for ECD. We continued this collaboration with SmartStart, DGMT, ELMA Philanthropies, the Hollard Foundation Trust, Kago Ya Bana, Yellowwoods, Innovation Edge, DataDrive2030 and Grow Great. 
  • We are a strong technical advisor to government, demonstrating how government and civil society can collaborate. For example, Side-by-Side demonstrates a co-financing arrangement between the Department of Health and Ilifa. 
  • SmartStart demonstrated what scalable delivery systems look like and how the system needs to shift to enable all these programmes to grow and be accessible to South Africa’s poorest children.  
  • Innovation Edge invested in the development of the ELOM tools that later set the foundation for South Africa’s first Thrive by Five Index in 2021.   

Crossing the bridge

Government and partners must strengthen the institutions that govern ECD and establish new ones that promote the inter–disciplinary and inter–sectoral nature of ECD. Strong public-private arrangements for service provision between government and non-state stakeholders must be established.