Thula Baba Bucket
Buckets of Nurture and Stimulation
Our buckets are handed out at the graduation ceremony at the end of antenatal and childcare courses run by our partner organisations. Various experts have been consulted to ensure that the contents of the buckets meet all the latest theories of Attachment and Bonding, Nurturing and Nutrition and Early Developmental Stimulation. Read more the importance of the first 1000 days of life here.
A Passport to Baby Health
To qualify for a Thula Baba Bucket, mothers need to attend a free 10-week course (Antenatal or Moms & Babies). The Passport is an attendance register filled in at each session.
Antenatal Course
The Antenatal course is aimed at expectant
- a baby-wrap for skin-to-skin baby wearing
- re-usable and disposable nappies, breast pads & sanitary towels
- sensory textured teether
- first colourful toy and book
Moms & Babies Course
Teaching mothers about good feeding practices, health and hygiene and how to care for infants is a key objective of these classes. By aiming to address the stunting and malnutrition that affects infants in our communities, we support the targets set out by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG2 relating to Zero Hunger) in South Africa. Our Thula Baba Baby Care Bucket is given after the Moms have attended the postnatal course with our partners, and is for babies aged three to nine months. This second bucket includes:
- baby oil & aqueous cream for baby massage
- baby books in the relevant home-language
- sensory toy
- tummy time stimulation boards and mat.
Circles of Love – Our Partner Organisations
Our key partner is The Zoe Project, who love and support pregnant women and new moms, ensuring they are equipped with the basic resources and a hand to hold during and after labour. They also counsel and support women and families, and run a variety of educational programmes equipping mothers and families with the tools to make informed decisions for themselves and their children. We support them by providing Thula Baba Buckets as graduation gifts for their programmes. They are also part of the network that distributes our Dressing Babies packs to various maternity units.
Book Dash is a social impact publisher of free books for very young children. Their vision is “Every child should own 100 books by the age of five”. They have an exciting method of publishing by inviting volunteers to do the work of publishers in a single day. They gather creative professionals who create new, African storybooks that anyone can freely translate, print and distribute. In this way, they have vastly reduced the costs involved in putting high-quality books in children’s hands and hearts. We include books in most of the packs we distribute and are very happy to be able to provide them in home languages wherever possible.
Where Rainbows Meet is an NPO with a vision is to create a future where every individual in Vrygrond (Cape Town) and its surrounding communities can live their lives in dignity and security. They run various programmes, the most important of which is a nutrition programme. They periodically come across families in need, and approach us to provide community care packs for the little ones involved.
