How Henkel South Africa is giving back to its community by building classrooms for early childhood education

Grabbing a lunch bag, going to school, sitting in a classroom all day learning something new, followed by a break with friends and completing homework or playing sports in after-school care. This sounds like a regular day for most children but is a luxury for those living in under-served communities in South Africa. And with education laying the foundation for many opportunities later in life, this creates inequality and keeps future generations from seizing their potential at a very young age.

In a small community, less than five kilometers away from the Henkel site in Gauteng, South Africa, underprivileged children had no access to education, classrooms, or early childhood learning. That is why in 2007, the Henkel South Africa team, welcomed the request from the Department of Social Development to build a center for children and create a space for early learning and development and give back to those close by, but far from access to learning. Tamaho was founded with the objective of improving the quality of early childhood education in the community of Katlehong, Mandela Section.

Tamaho: How access to education helps to create opportunities for all

One year after the idea was conceived, in 2008, Tamaho inaugurated two classrooms – Tamaho Early Learning Center. Through donations and volunteer work from Henkel employees and Henkel South Africa, 80 children from ages three to five every year now have a place to learn. Most of the children at the learning center come from families that face socioeconomic challenges. Philippe Huenermann, Country President for Henkel East Africa and South Africa explains the motivation behind Tamaho: “We have a moral obligation to give back to the communities we operate in while creating a positive impact particularly on our future generations. Tamaho is a local initiative close to my heart, throughout the last decade we have seen the center grow and extend its capacity to 80 children. We are looking forward to accommodating many more kids in need in the center to help them pave their way for a better future."

With Tamaho, Henkel supports young children during one of the most crucial phases, when the foundation for learning in life is set. “I believe that every child deserves to grow up healthy and to have the opportunity to achieve their dreams. By supporting the Tamaho Early Childhood Development Centre for more than 15 years, we have been able to provide children not only with a quality education, but also with the emotional and medical support they deserve,” says Csaba Szendrei, Head of Adhesive Technologies IMEA who visits the site regularly. “As of 2023, ten of the learners who started at Tamaho in 2007 are pursuing their academic studies in different fields – to only name one of several long-term success stories of the initiative, we are proud of.” The ten young learners who passed through Tamaho have gone to university, continuing their learning journey and pursuing studies in a number of different fields including law, engineering, education, and more. This is just one facet of the initiative, that shows how for more than 15 years, Tamaho has become an important support system, a stepping stone, and symbol of hope for the community. After the students’ graduation from Tamaho, the initiative makes sure to stay in close contact with their graduates and follow their continuing learning journey. To foster exchange with current students, Tamaho alumni are regularly invited back to the center to talk about their experiences in university and their study paths.

Next to the day-to-day organization of the education and teaching, the center also offers aftercare for children from local primary schools and acts as pick-up point for medication and as community hall. It also hosts small businesses and trainings for the youth.

Henkel volunteers are helping the community

Throughout the years, Henkel South Africa has helped the school to keep running by providing financial support, covering costs like rent, teacher salaries, children’s food and stationery, and further donations in kind. This involvement was also supported through the Fritz Henkel foundation. Over the years, employees from Henkel South Africa have also put a lot of energy and dedication towards growing the initiative, by volunteering and helping, for example, with onsite repairs.

A highlight for the Henkel South Africa team marks Mandela Day. On the 18th of July, in honor and recognition of the former president’s commitment to human rights and conflict resolution, Henkel volunteers spend time off their workday at the Tamaho Center to clean, educate, paint, or help with anything that is needed at that time. What motivates and drives volunteers like Goitse to push the initiative and help it grow? It’s her own experience and feeling one can have a direct positive impact. “Growing up, I went through something similar like these kids that come to the learning center. I know what it felt like not to have what you need, but I was lucky to have friends and family that helped me, so I got the chance to go to school. The initiative now gives me the opportunity to pass that on. It’s sometimes a small opportunity and a small act of kindness that provides children a stepping stone for their future.”

Growing hope and learning for a better future

To date, one of the main challenges has been to accommodate all the students looking for a place to learn and grow. And with the number of students growing, the center had reached its full capacity a few years ago. This prompted the need to establish a second building that will allow an additional 120 children each year to access a learning environment. With the support of the Fritz Henkel foundation, the existing classrooms are being refurbished, and the second structure is created. The kick-off in March, 2023, saw 20 Henkel volunteers spending a day at the center, assisting on the construction site, painting walls, installing a kitchen and much more to prepare the new space for the children.

The construction of an additional classroom started in March 2023 and will eventually allow an additional 120 children to attend the learning center.

Tamaho was originally implemented in a local municipality with the intention to give back directly to the neighborhood. And while Henkel South Africa was founded more than 70 years ago, this initiative – with the active support from Henkel employees – continues to anchor the company’s place in the local community today.