When Suzette Hendricks (25) and her family moved from Oudtshoorn to Vanrhynsdorp in 2022, she never imagined she would one day find herself in the field of early childhood development. But as Suzette says, “At the time, I didn’t have a job, but I wanted to build something within the community.”
Today, she is not only a witness to how a heart for children can transform a community but also a leader who inspires mothers to cultivate a love for education.
The start of something big
Suzette’s journey as a day mother didn’t begin with a strategy or a pre-planned idea.
“I didn’t have a job when we arrived in Vanrhynsdorp,” she recalls. “I wanted to do something, to mean something, but I didn’t know where to start.”
That’s when Badisa Vanrhynsdorp reached out to her. A social worker asked, “Would you be interested in becoming a daycare mother?” Boksie vir Buksie, an early childhood development programme that forms part of Little Seeds, Badisa’s early childhood development unit, was looking for community members willing to support children in their early years.
“I wasn’t sure if I would succeed,” she admits honestly. “But I gave it a try, and it changed my life.”
Suzette took six children into her care and started a small preschool in her rented home. The community responded positively right away. “At the time, Vanrhynsdorp didn’t have a preschool. There was only a primary school and a high school.”
She remembers struggling to maintain the classroom space because she wasn’t earning an income from it. “The money I received from parents went directly toward rent. But I wasn’t doing it for the money, it was a matter of the heart.”
For a year and six months, she remained the only day mother in Vanrhynsdorp. But then, as rent became too expensive, she had to make the heartbreaking decision to close the centre.
“I loved seeing those little ones and their bright smiles. My hope was always to make a difference.”
“I remember caring for a baby, Amoré, who was only eight months old at the time. All the children called me ‘Aunty Bannie.’ One day, baby Amoré said her first two words, and they were ‘Aunty Bannie.’ I couldn’t believe it! Her first words were spoken in the classroom where I had helped her learn.”
“That day, I told myself, ‘You can achieve anything if you believe in yourself and are willing to work for it.’”
Photo caption: Suzette at the start of her journey as a day mother
Open doors
A new door opened for Suzette in March 2024 when she secured a position at Badisa Tygerberg.
“It was a huge adjustment,” she admits. “I moved from a smalll town to a big office with many people. On my first day, I was scared. I told myself, ‘I’m not good enough for this.’”
But, just like so many times before, she stood strong and kept going.
Today, Suzette is part of a team that supports and empowers day mothers.
“I can use my own story to help others,” she says. “I know what it feels like to start from scratch, to feel uncertain, and to wonder if you’re truly making a difference.”
She recalls one moment that forever changed her perspective on early childhood development.
“I visited a day mother and sat on the mat to show the children hand-eye coordination games. The other children joined in, and even the day mother came closer to see what I was doing. That day, I realised how much of a difference I can make in a child’s life, just by showing them how to hold a pencil correctly or how to stack blocks.”
Hope for the future
Suzette hopes to complete her degree in social work and dreams of a day when every daycare and day mother in her community receives the support she once had to seek out herself.
“I want them to know: you can start with six children and end up with thirty. You can make a difference, even if it feels small. Your work is important.”
Her advice to other mothers wondering whether they should take the leap?
“Believe. Trust. Start small. And know that you are not alone.”
Little Seeds is an Early Childhood Development (ECD) unit that integrates programmes and services from Diaconia and Badisa. Their interventions not only create awareness about early childhood development but also expand access to early learning through home- and community-based programmes and projects, as well as daycare and aftercare centres.
For more information, email info@badisa.org.za.
