aRe Bapaleng is a Sotho word for “Let’s Play”
The aRe Bapaleng (“Let’s Play” in Sesotho) is Seriti’s flagship early childhood development program, addressing critical gaps in supporting children aged 0-8 in underserved communities by providing the necessary skills, tools, and resources to understand their crucial role in shaping their child’s life. The program empowers parents and caregivers through four core interventions: 1) Active Learning Workshops, providing hands-on training in nurturing care and early stimulation; 2) Home-based ECD support, delivered by trained Caregiver Networkers; 3) Community awareness campaigns, promoting the importance of early learning; and 4) ECD centre support, enhancing the quality of existing facilities. By fostering a holistic support ecosystem, aRe Bapaleng aims to create nurturing environments that enable children to thrive and reach their full potential.
We have supported 50,961 parents and caregivers, worked with 842 ECD centres, helped benefit 101,079 children, activated 2,442 Caregiver Networkers, and collaborated with 15 local implementing partners and over 11 enabling partners. The program has run 490 awareness campaigns. 85% of caregivers trained are under 35 years of age, 77% of those trained are mothers, and 66% of men who were trained became Caregiver Networkers.
Visit our interactive web-based program website: arebapaleng.co.za Through this platform, Seriti aims to develop a full-optimised mobile App version of the platform through further support, empowering caregivers in remote communities with resources and enabling data collection and analysis of the ECD landscape in South Africa. Seriti is a partner of the Early Childhood Development Action Network (ECDAN) and a member of the International Step-by-Step Association (ISSA).
What We Do
Improved knowledge and understanding on Early Childhood Development for primary caregivers in marginalised communities.
Greater sustainability of the program by developing a core of local ECD capacity among caregivers that can continue to build ECD capacity within the community.
Increased awareness and wider sharing of knowledge amongst caregivers and experts on ECD.
Create awareness on Early Childhood Development in marginalised communities.
Caregiver Network
With the objective of ensuring greater sustainability, reach and impact over time we have designed an additional facet to the existing aRe Bapaleng programme – the Caregiver Network. This network of capacitated caregivers who have been trained through Active Learning Workshops, are moving towards training other caregivers in their communities. In this way, vulnerable communities in South Africa have a stronger, in-community hub of higher quality of ECD capacity that they can draw from and there is an increase in inclusion in the communal ECD ecosystem. The Caregiver Network-ER programme aims to reach more beneficiaries in a shorter period of time, the quality of ECD support in vulnerable communities will be deepened, the real demand for more qualified Caregivers in the ECD space will be met and this will increase the Caregivers’ employability prospects.
The aRe Bapaleng Play and Learn Junxtions are innovative community hubs to support early childhood development in underserved areas. These multifunctional spaces provide resources and training for parents and caregivers, offer safe play areas for children, and serve as centres for community engagement. Equipped with toy libraries, outdoor play equipment, and learning materials, the Junxtions foster a nurturing environment for children aged 0-8. By integrating ECD support with broader community development initiatives, these hubs become catalysts for positive change and resilience-building in marginalised communities. Seriti is actively seeking support to realise this vision!
Hearing from Our Parents and Beneficiaries
Our Programme Impact
“I can’t take my kids to any ECD facility, especially the older one. I am grateful to have learned that parents play a significant role in a child’s education. I now know that that I can teach my child at home, and every activity I do can be turned into a learning opportunity for my kids. The older one gets excited and when I play with them and when her friend and peers come back from school, she calls them saying hozani sizodlala nomama (come let’s play with my mom) and the older one is loving the LEGO Bricks activities.”
Millicent Marathane
42-year-old mother of two in Bram Fischer
Our Partners
Partnerships are Key Enablers for Successful Delivery
aRe Bapaleng´s working model and successful implementation is founded on a strong partnership approach. We work in close collaboration with a network of organisations in order to strengthen the local ECD ecosystem in vulnerable communities. This approach enables us to reach our target communities and provide them with a holistic interactive learning experience
