or children to have any hope of a future in our modern, high tech world, they must be educated. And the first step is early learning, through play and exploration.

But villagers on the Missions often have no money for food, let alone toys for the children!

Many of our rural child care centres are housed in basic mud huts without electricity or running water. Playgrounds are just areas of barren dusty ground. Child care workers do the best they can, but it’s just about impossible with the limited resources at their disposal. Imagine having to resort to tearing up old newspapers to make balls for the children to throw to one another!

But, in a place called Hlabisa, there is a toy library.

Every week, their meagre supply of toys and books is rotated between ten early learning centres in the surrounding area. It’s heartwarming to see how these few items bring huge smiles to the children’s faces.

But there is a great need for more puzzles, books, dolls, toy trucks, balls … as well as replacing items like crayons, paint, colouring books, paper and stickers.