Some of the children whom Nomandi Sweetness Gxoko has helped to care for at a Woodstock shelter for women and children are now at university.
That shows just how important the foundation phase of a child’s life is, she says.
Ms Gxoko, 60, of Delft South, has worked at St Anne’s Home for 25 years, and, on Wednesday June 1, her colleagues held a small party to thank her for her long service.
She takes care of babies and children in the non-profit organisation’s early childhood development centre.
“Being a childcare worker, especially for the babies, one becomes the first teacher of the children and has an opportunity to lay a solid foundation for the way forward,” Ms Gxoko said.
St Anne’s Home director Joy Lange said: “Ms Gxoko has a rich understanding of the growth and development of young children especially those who have been traumatised by the abuse of the mother or who have been abused in the process.”
