Dec 1, 2020. In 2008 Julika Falconer started the Zero2Five Trust which focuses on early childhood development. Zero2Five has three main programs, an early education program funded by the Lego Foundation in Denmark and Care for Education in Johannesburg as well as Word Works, and a couple of other big partners. In this program, they teach early literacy. This program has been rolled out in over 150 centers in Kwa-Zulu Natal and the Eastern Cape. Zero2 Five also has a nutritional program in which they feed breakfast and a fortified lunch at most of these centers. Thirdly they have a registration program with the Department of Social Development where they assist the ECD practitioners and owners to register their centers as partial care facilities. It is important that these informal, community, or home-based get onto the agenda of the department so that they can apply for the subsidy programs.
During the COVID-19 lockdown Julika together with Guy Cluver owner of Bellevue Cafe, made national news headlines when they started a soup kitchen in the Bellevue Kitchen: https://youtu.be/oEUO4lWKoZI
In this video, Julika takes us to Vumelani Orphan Day-Care Centre one of over 400 ECD centers that are on the program now, with about 17000 children. https://www.zero2five.org.za