Anna Appel – that’s the woman who came to Hanneline van Wyk’s farm, Fransmanskraal in Devon Valley, Stellenbosch and first told her about the Child Care Programme being offered at Bergzicht Training and Development. Today Anna’s work to spread the word about the opportunities being offered at NGOs like Bergzicht Training and Development for the youth has helped Hanneline qualify as a child carer and find employment at a local preschool.

“After I gave birth to my child, I stayed at home and was unemployed for a while before I started looking for work,” explains Hanneline.

“I started a frail care course while I was living in Grabouw, but it only made me realise that I  was passionate about working with children.”

It was during the work-integrated learning component of the EduCare (now Child Care) Programme at Bergzicht Training and Development that Hanneline first connected with Steggies Preschool. It was clear that she had made an impression at Steggies as she was often called back two to three times a week while still finishing her programme at Bergzicht Training and Development to help out at Steggies when they needed extra hands.

After she completed her programme, Hanneline started looking for work and continued assisting Steggies whenever they needed her.

“The children really crept into my heart very quickly and now I can’t imagine doing any other work, because this is the work I do with passion. Often, when I have a day off, I find myself wondering what the little ones are doing at school today,” says Hanneline who has been working at Steggies for more than a year looking after babies between 11 and 18 months.

While she talks about her work at Steggies, a number of the babies who are already walking come up to Hanneline and insist on sitting her lap. She smiles and welcomes them with open arms.

“My morning starts with me changing diapers and feeding the children porridge, and then its singing and reading and play time. We use play to teach them new words, and I encourage them to repeat what I say. Later in the day they get a small snack, have some time to play outside followed by lunch. After that we start prepping them for sleep time,” says Hanneline as she breaks down a typical work day.

“I have really nice colleagues and when I first started here, and wasn’t sure what to do, they would help me. We are like a family and when I struggle with something, I can ask them for advice. We work together as a team.”

Hanneline says her current job brings her a lot of joy, however, she says it was not always easy getting through the programme. As a wife and mother of two with household responsibilities, there were days she “just didn’t have the energy to wake up early and walk the long stretch to get a taxi at 07:00 to get to class in time”.

“My husband and Anna supported me in that time, but it was still hard balancing taking care of my children, doing the washing and getting dinner ready after a long day. But in the end, I decided to finish the programme. It was my passion and I knew I had to push through. I am not sorry that I stuck it out, that I found a way to make it work. I am actually very proud of myself,” she says.

She does not only credit Bergzicht Training and Development, in particular her facilitator Eleanor Bergins, with helping her to develop her self-confidence, but also supporting her emotionally when the going got tough.

“I really enjoyed my time at Bergzicht Training and Development and I learnt a lot. When I was shy and didn’t want to speak in front of the class, Ms Eleanor would give me the courage to do that. So many positive things came out of my time at Bergzicht Training and Development and I really grew as a person.”

Photo: Alumnus Hanneline van Wyk now works at Steggies Preschool in Devon Valley where she takes care of little ones between 11 and 18 months. (Lynne Rippenaar-Moses)