ECD practitioners trained in life saving skills

Voorspoed Mine in partnership with ER24 has initiated training of early childhood development (ECD) practitioners. The training is ranked a NQF Level 3 programme and is targeted at ECD practitioners from townships in Fezile Dabi. The objective of the programme is to equip ECD practitioners with lifesaving skills that include “how to save a child from drowning, how to treat a child who has suffered burns, how to resuscitate a person who has fainted, how to treat and dress wounds and basic skills in applying first aid in general”.
All the ECD practitioners trained are from ECDs that rely on government subsidy and look after children between the ages of one and six. Parents of these children pay between R100 and R150 per month.
These ECDs are not necessarily operating to make profit but to assist parents who need a safe shelter for their children while they are at work, mostly as domestics or farm workers.
The first group of thirty ECD practitioners trained is from crèches and ECD from the Mokwallo Township in Vredefort. The training started in February 2016 and ended in June 2016 and included theory and practical. The cost of the training is just above R10 000 per person. The certificate giving ceremony was held at Bokamoso Creche in the Mokwallo Township in Vredefort and was attended by community members and ECD practitioners.
While speaking on behalf of the certificates recipients, Mrs Julia Monyolo from Polokego crèche indicated that “unintentional injury remains one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality among children in ECDs. Voorspoed Mine’s training provided us with first aid or emergency care skills and confidence to manage emergencies”.
Accidental physical injuries account for the majority of injuries that occur and usually take place on the playground in most ECDs. These may include minor injuries such as abrasions and bruises or more significant injuries such as fractures and lacerations. Exacerbations of underlying medical conditions are also of concern and can occur. The training that was offered capacitated the ECD practitioners with skills to minimize these and attend to them professionally when they occur, Monyolo said.
Speaking at the event, the Voorspoed Mine Corporate Affairs Manager, Lydia Radebe, indicated that “the training is aligned to government strategy of providing in-service training to ECD educators to gradually improve the formal levels of qualification of ECD practitioners.
Voorspoed Mine initiated this training as part of the Mine’s outreach, equity and access of education and training to communities in which the mine operates. Radebe indicated that skills development within the ECD sector is a priority for the Mine and government as these practitioners are the people who spend a  lot of time with children and they should be able to save lives as most of first aid incidents determine the survival of patients before they are taken to hospitals and other health care facilities. Radebe indicated that the first aid training that the Mine provides to ECD practitioners provides holistic first aid training that can also be applied outside the ECD sector.