Candice Potgieter, CEO of The Unlimited Child, has been crowned the winner of the prestigious 2024 Santam Women of the Future Award in the Social Entrepreneur category. This win not only celebrates Candice’s remarkable leadership but also shines a spotlight on The Unlimited Child’s commitment to early childhood development in Southern Africa.
The Santam Women of the Future Awards, presented in association with FAIRLADY and TRUELOVE magazines, are renowned for identifying and honouring women entrepreneurs who have made significant contributions to South African society and economy through their innovation, resilience and leadership.
“While I am deeply honoured to receive this award, the true heroes for me are the incredible female micro-entrepreneurs in our communities who care for our youngest and most vulnerable members of society,” says Candice. “These women, trained by The Unlimited Child to become world-class early childhood development practitioners, dedicate their lives to ensuring that children who might not have had access to quality education are now school-ready and prepared for a brighter future. I am incredibly humbled by their unwavering commitment, resilience, and the remarkable leadership they demonstrate every day. I truly believe each one of them deserves this award, and for that reason, I dedicate this win to them.”
The Unlimited Child is currently the largest Early Childhood Development non-profit organisation in South Africa and the fastest-growing in Africa. To date, they have trained 12,000 childminders to become practitioners and fully-fledged micro-enterprises. Over 5,500 ECD centres have been supported with the best toys and resources and more than 2.1 million children across six countries have been reached.
Everything, however, rises and falls on leadership. And, it’s Candice’s leadership over the past eight years that has fuelled this NPO’s remarkable year-on-year growth. When Candice joined The Unlimited Child, the programme had reached 400 ECD Centres, serving over 30,000 children. Today, in addition to their monumental expansion and reach, they have won the Best Programme & Curriculum Award for Africa & the Middle East, and have partnered with the Lego Foundation on a play-based research project. They are also collaborating with Sesame Street/Takalani Sesame and Anglo American in addition to forging a partnership with National Treasury through the Jobs Fund. No small feat for any organisation – big or small!
Candice adds that they’re not hitting the brakes any time soon. “The truth is that we’re just getting started! We have a massive transformative purpose to shift lives. So, we’re gearing up to expand our reach beyond our continent so that we can unlimit the dreams of children across the world. After all, there are few missions as important as nurturing the potential of our children, for they are the architects of our shared tomorrow,” she concludes.
