Candice Potgieter, The Unlimited Child
I believe in the power of education to transform lives and unlock potential,’ says Candice Potgieter, CEO of The Unlimited Child. She has dedicated her life to making a significant difference in early childhood development (ECD) across South Africa and beyond.
Candice’s journey with The Unlimited Child began in 2016, when she was brought in to grow the organisation, which was initially founded by Iain Buchan. ‘At that time, The Unlimited Child had a beneficiary list of approximately 47 000 children and 257 female-led micro-enterprises,’ she recalls. Under her leadership, the organisation has expanded its reach to over two million children and more than 5 000 female-led ECD centres across South Africa, Lesotho, Malawi, Zimbabwe, and even Yemen.
Driven by her passion for social entrepreneurship, Candice has focused on addressing the critical lack of quality ECD centres in many communities. ‘By training ECD practitioners and supporting their centres, we empower women to run viable micro-enterprises, and ensure that the children in their care are school-ready,’ she says.
Candice’s approach is guided by the principle of teaching sustainable skills. ‘My parents always believed in teaching a man to fish rather than just giving him fish.’ Her work is built on a foundation of academic excellence, and a dedication to economic empowerment and early education.
Today, The Unlimited Child is the largest ECD organisation in South Africa and the fastest-growing in Africa. Its impact is measured by independent tools to ensure children transition from being at risk of not being school-ready to becoming confident and prepared for school.
But Candice’s tenure has not been without its challenges. ‘We faced a tri-challenge year with Covid-19, civil unrest and flooding, which threatened our network of ECD centres and practitioners.’ Through raising more than R20 million, Candice and her team were able to sustain over 97% of their network, ensuring that the centres – and the children – remained supported.
Candice aims to double the number of micro-enterprises and children served within the next three years. ‘Success for us is growing our community of ECD centres to 10 000 and continuing to provide the best education to the children in our care,’ she says.
Winning the Santam Women of the Future Social Entrepreneur Award is a testament to Candice’s tireless work and dedication. ‘This award shines a spotlight on ECD, and on the transformation that can happen when we empower women to become ECD practitioners.’ The R75 000 cash prize will be reinvested into The Unlimited Child, enabling more women to be upskilled.
‘This recognition means so much to me and my team. It validates the work we’ve put in, and motivates us to keep going in our mission to “unlimit” children’s dreams.’
To learn more about Candice’s company, visit: https://theunlimitedchild.org/