Wild Impact is Building Brighter Futures and Stronger ECD Centres From the Ground Up

By rebuilding Sikhulanabo Creche from the ground up, Wild Impact and its partners didn’t just unlock vital government funding; they unlocked a brighter, more sustainable future for local children to play, learn, and grow.

KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa (31 May 2026) – The earliest years of a child’s life shape everything that follows. It is on this foundational belief that Wild Impact‘s Early Childhood Development campaign operates.

As a dedicated non-profit organisation, Wild Impact supports 137 Early Childhood Development (ECD) centres across Greater Kruger and iSimangaliso by providing safe, play-based learning environments while simultaneously creating local jobs.

While these centres do incredible work, many remain just one critical step away from unlocking long-term government funding.

To overcome this hurdle, Wild Impact helps these centres meet strict compliance standards in order to access sustainable government resources for nutrition, education, and development, thereby empowering families and communities for generations.

A powerful example of this life-changing support is the recent transformation of Sikhulanabo Creche in Hluhluwe, KwaZulu-Natal. Despite being registered with the Department of Basic Education (DBE) and operating as a non-profit organisation, the creche faced challenges due to infrastructure limitations.

Thanks to vital infrastructure upgrades, the creche recently secured its first-ever government subsidy from the DBE – a long-awaited milestone.

“To achieve this, Wild Impact, in collaboration with andBeyond, partnered with the Global Visions Fund and The Spence Family Foundation to rebuild Sikhulanabo from the ground up,” explains Tarryn Macaskill of Wild Impact.

This collective effort transformed the local creche into a fully compliant ECD centre by installing:

• Perimeter fencing
• 2 classrooms
• A kitchen and dining area
• 5 Enviroloo toilets
• A dedicated play area
• A water purification system
• Electricity access
• A garden shade structure

“Unlocking government funding means more than financial support. It creates a sustainable pathway for centres to provide daily nutrition, support educators, and continue delivering quality early childhood development for years to come. Sikhulanabo Creche is proof of what’s possible,” Tarryn explains.

Wild Impact is dedicated to supporting the conservation of wild landscapes and seascapes and the sustainable development of the communities that live in and adjacent to them – supporting early childhood development and ensuring centres are government-funded are among the many ways they achieve this.

Tarryns says that with the public’s support, more centres can reach this milestone, thereby creating stronger futures for children, families and communities from the very beginning.

“Some centres need only a few items (like a fire hydrant or potties) for them to cross the line into bronze status and achieve government funding.”

To learn more and support Wild Impact’s mission, donate here.

Sources: Tarryn Macaskill

Don’t ever miss the Good Things. Download the Good Things Guy App now on Apple or Google. 

Do you have something to add to this story? Please share it in the comments or follow GoodThingsGuy on Facebook and Twitter to keep up to date with good news as it happens, or share your good news with us by clicking here or click the link below to listen to the Good Things Guy Podcast with Brent Lindeque – South Africa’s very own Good Things Guy. He’s on a mission to change what the world pays attention to, and he truly believes there’s good news around us. In the Good Things Guy podcast, you’ll meet these everyday heroes and hear their incredible stories:

Or catch an episode of Good Things with Brent Lindeque or our Weekly Top 5 below. The videos here are always changing, updated with the latest episodes from these two shows. Both are part of Good Things TV, created to bring South Africans balance at a time when the news can feel overwhelmingly negative. Our goal is simple: to remind you that there are still so many good things happening in our country – and to leave you feeling a little more proudly South African. 

The post Wild Impact is Building Brighter Futures and Stronger ECD Centres From the Ground Up appeared first on Good Things Guy.