‘Izinga’ in Everything we do

Term 3 saw the start of our Izinga visits. ‘Izinga’ translated from Zulu means ‘quality’. The visits were all about ensuring consistent quality in everything that Siyakwazi does. 

Inclusive learning is all about stimulating multiple senses

Makhosi Shusha, who oversees and manages Siyakwazi’s team of Siyasizas explains that quality is an important element of seeing improvement in the children which Siyakwazi supports. The process of the Izinga visits is a twofold one as it also assists the team of Siyasizas in understanding the work that they do and promotes confidence in their process. “Throughout the visits our Siyasizas could showcase their work and give feedback to us on what programmes are working well and where improvement or support is required,” comments Makhosi.

Philile working with an enthusiastic audience of young minds

“As a growing organisation who now impacts almost 1200 children, of which 132 who have been identified as children with special needs, it’s imperative that quality is maintained and that we don’t lose sight of our core principles and practices”, states Cathy, founder and director of Siyakwazi. “As we evolve new best practise principles are encouraged and adopted, and the organisation encourages and promotes innovation and creativity.” The mentorship programme that is run with the Siyasizas monthly, is one of the methods that the team uses to assist with ongoing training and development. The sessions allow for new knowledge and idea sharing as well as self-reflection amongst the Siyasizas and an opportunity to feedback on progress within the respective areas.

In addition, Siyakwazi is constantly forming new partnerships with other organisations in the ECD space, for example Wordworks, Brainboosters, LEGO and Singakwenza to name a few. Collaborating with these organisations assists Siyakwazi with implementing new methods of teaching/ learning.

Through Siyakwazi’s growing impact parents, teachers and community members have become aware of the organisation and sought out its services. The Izinga visits will be implemented regularly as means of ongoing monitoring and evaluation within the organisation.