Victor Mecoamere

Victor Mecoamere

Winnie Masesi Nsimbini is a model early childhood development practitioner; her Khulangelwati Day Care Centre is much more than an early childhood development site or creche.

Khulangelwati, Siswati for grow with knowledge, is a centre of excellence. Its head is an industrious, selfless and deeply humble community worker.

Nsimbini, who is the reigning champion of the Absa and Sowetan Early Childhood Development Awards in the best practitioner category, has moulded the centre into an inspiring community learning, teaching, development and resource centre.

While its core business is nurturing future leaders, Khulangelwati - situated in White River, Mpumalanga - doubles up as an:

lAdult basic education and training centre;

lEarly childhood development practitioners education and training centre;

l Centre for local high school pupils in the afternoons; and

lA centre hosting various functions. including a Sunday school, which Nsimbini runs.

The centre also hosts cell group church services on week nights, conducts home-based care services for HIV-Aids infected and affected households, whose children are nurtured at the centre.

Nsimbini says: "We give them food and clothing and caring and prayers. We have started a food garden to help feed poor community members and people living with HIV-Aids."

Teenage pregnancies are another scourge of KwaDaantjie, where Khulangelwati is situated.

"We have several teenage moms whose babies we nurture at Khulangelwati," Nsimbini says.

"We counsel the teens and warn them about the dangers of unprotected sex and HIV.

"We also urge them to use contraceptives and other forms of protection such as condoms."