After 13 dedicated years as a field worker with The Domino Foundation’s Early Childhood Development (ECD) programme, Zanele Nzimakwe is now on the verge of realising a long-held dream: the opening of her own ECD centre, Fountain of Life, in Amaoti.
Nzimakwe’s journey to becoming a centre owner has been significantly nurtured by the relationships she built through The Domino Foundation and its close interaction with Hosanna Women (HW), a Non-Profit Company (NPC) owned by Michelle Gorrie. Hosanna Women is committed to improving the environment for both learners and teachers in creches across Durban by offering emotional and financial support.
Zanele’s vision for her own centre began to take concrete shape when she shared her aspirations with Michelle Gorrie, particularly her need for land to build and equip her facility. With extensive experience and knowledge in the ECD field, gained through the networks she built while serving the community with The Domino Foundation, Nzimakwe feels more than ready to embark on this new chapter. She has previously worked with 60 developing centres, impacting almost 4,000 learners in communities throughout the Durban North area.
Expressing her excitement, Nzimakwe said: “Words can’t express my joy at seeing my long-time dream coming true. Ever since I started working with the little ones with Domino, I have wanted to have my own crèche and now I will be seeing them prepared for life in my own ECD centre.”
The fruitful relationship Nzimakwe has cultivated with Hosanna Women is now evident, with land having been purchased and plans for her centre’s building already drawn. According to the current plans, Fountain of Life is expected to open its doors to welcome learners in early 2026.
Michelle Gorrie highlighted Hosanna Women’s broader mission, stating: “Hosanna Women has taken equity stakes in many successful businesses which now have female-black-ownership points on their scorecard. Our vision is to empower black women to run their own creches and pre-schools in line with the National Qualification Framework. Zanele is exactly the sort of passionate and committed lady we love to work with.”
Gorrie also explained how her organisation has partnered with many other aspiring and already-established ECD centre owners, noting that their knowledge from dealing with diverse challenges and circumstances drives them to continuously reach out and assist.
In support of fostering more success stories like Nzimakwe’s, Hosanna Women will be hosting a Women’s Day Family Fun Run on 9 August at the Westville Country Club. Gorrie is inviting all interested individuals to be part of this event, which will feature live entertainment and games.
Tickets for the event are available for R100 on Quicket. For more information about the event, interested parties can contact cheron@thekwinimotorgroup.co.za.
