FOR SOUTH AFRICA’S YOUNGEST CHILDREN
This Women’s Month, Ladles of Love is honouring the preschool principals who quietly hold communities together, creating safe spaces, feeding children and building places of learning in areas where poverty, hunger and crime can make childhood painfully uncertain. These leaders will be recognised at the Heroes of Hope Excellence Awards at Garden Court Nelson Mandela Boulevard in Cape Town on 28 August 2026.
In many underserved communities, preschool principals have become far more than educators. They are protectors, carers, organisers and problem-solvers. Some began simply because they saw children playing alone in the streets and knew someone had to create a safer place for them.
“Across our communities, courageous women are opening their doors and giving their time, strength and resources to create safe, nurturing spaces for young children who might otherwise be left vulnerable, unseen or roaming the streets,” says Yolanda Jones, Programme Director of Ladles of Love’s Nourish Our Children programme.
“What may have started as wanting to create a safe space has become a haven of hope. A place where love abounds and intentional care is provided day after day.”
Through Ladles of Love’s Nourish Our Children programme, children receive two healthy meals a day, while their growth and developmental milestones are monitored. Preschool teams also receive nutrition support, training and guidance.
For Jones, one of the most remarkable parts of the story is what many of these principals were doing long before formal support arrived.
“Many were using their own family and personal funds to provide food, safety and early learning opportunities because they believe that every child deserves care and the chance to thrive,” she says.
“The food support they receive now allows some of that money to go back into their centres. They are improving facilities, equipping staff and creating better learning environments. None of it is for personal gain. Every improvement is about giving a child a better chance.”
The Heroes of Hope Excellence Awards recognise excellence across six areas, including child nutrition and wellbeing, governance and reporting, digital innovation, inclusive education, preschool enterprise development and exceptional leadership and resilience.
While Women’s Month provides the setting for the event, the awards recognise outstanding principals across the Ladles of Love network, women and men alike, for their contribution to children and their communities.
The day itself has been designed as something rare for people who spend most of their lives caring for others: a day in which the attention is on them.
There will be a workshop, luncheon, awards ceremony, pamper and crafting experiences, gifts and time to connect with other preschool leaders. At its heart is a simple message: you are seen, and what you do matters.
“These women are the vehicles driving meaningful change in communities where children could so easily have been forgotten,” says Jones.
“Their commitment turns hunger into nourishment and vulnerability into safety. That kind of selfless leadership deserves to be recognised. It also deserves investment.”
There are still opportunities for businesses and individuals to support the event and the principals being honoured.
A contribution of R500 sponsors one principal’s seat, while R5,000 sponsors a table of ten principals. Award category, event, product and prize sponsorship opportunities are also available. Vouchers available at: Ladlesoflove.org.za/online shop
For companies, the opportunity is about more than corporate social investment, it is standing behind pioneering women doing difficult and vital work in communities every day.
As Jones puts it: “When you support one of these principals, you are supporting the safe space she creates, the children she feeds and the future she is trying to build.”
Event details
Heroes of Hope Excellence Awards
Date: Friday, 28 August 2026
Venue: Garden Court Nelson Mandela Boulevard, Cape Town
About Ladles of Love
Ladles of Love is a South African non-profit organisation founded by Danny Diliberto in 2014. What began as a small soup kitchen in Cape Town has grown into a national movement that has delivered more than 49 million meals to vulnerable people since 2020. Today, the organisation focuses on supporting preschool education through good nutrition, while uplifting and resourcing principals and teachers through skills development and training.
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