KNYSNA NEWS - Following in the footsteps of Nicola Goodall, the new Knysna Education Trust (Ket) general manager, Annesta Hofer, has aspirations to have every Knysna child in need younger than six in an early childhood development (ECD) facility by 2025.
Originally from Klerksdorp, Hofer is a psychology and social work graduate of North West University. She has been in private practice for 24 years, focusing on women's rights as well as victims of domestic and gender-based violence. While her practice started out in Nelspruit, she moved to George just over a year ago and saw the opportunity at Ket.
"I saw the position was available, and I knew that it was going to be the perfect opportunity for me to find a way to expand Ket and take the organisation to a whole new level," she says. Hofer sees the transition between her previous work and that at Ket with children in need as a natural progression. "Both groups of people are vulnerable, so for me it has been a very smooth transition into work with Ket."
Ket has been in operation in Knysna since 1993, focusing exclusively on the upliftment of ECD, and is now working together with 109 ECD facilities in Sedgefield, Knysna and Plettenberg Bay. This does not mean, however, that expansion has stopped. "Part of our plans to expand include Karatara and Rheenendal, and eventually George, the Garden Route and the Karoo, and ultimately the entire province," Hofer says.
The aim to have all needy children under six in an ECD facility within five years is another aspect of this expansion. "The greatest gift is the gift of education, and that is what we aim to give to every child," she says. "We help with the training of teachers and/or care workers at facilities, and ultimately want to ensure every child receives high quality development at an early age."
Hofer will be relying on the experience of her fellow managers Angelina Smith (education and training), Nella Gysman (ECD registration), and Lené Bouwer (special programmes) to help steer the ship.
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