Three years of data reveals a 37-percentage point gap in learning outcomes between schools with infrastructure alone and those with infrastructure and partner support.
What does it really take to change a child’s future? At Breadline Africa, we have been providing safe educational spaces for children since 1993, and the answer is now backed by evidence. Our 2025 Impact Report – our most comprehensive evidence-based report to date – draws on three years of data across all nine provinces and confirms that targeted infrastructure investment, when combined with strong partnerships, produces measurable and lasting outcomes for children.
2025 at a glance: 79 sites, 310 units, 22,059 children reached
In 2025, we completed projects at 79 sites, placing 310 infrastructure units and reaching 22,059 children and community members directly. Of the pre-schools we monitored, 86% met the infrastructure requirements for Department of Basic Education (DBE) registration after receiving support – a critical milestone, as registration unlocks access to government subsidies that many centres depend on to remain operational.
The 37-point difference: why partnership matters
The report’s most significant finding centres on the power of partnership. Pre-schools that received both our infrastructure and educator support from a partner organisation achieved an average Learning Programme Quality Assessment (LPQA) score of 84%, compared with 47% at sites that received infrastructure alone – a gap of 37 percentage points.
Enrolment at supported centres grew by 26%, and waiting lists across seven centres totalled 98 children, pointing to sustained demand in communities where quality learning environments remain scarce.
“This report matters because it gives us evidence,” says our CEO, Marion Wagner. “We have always believed that safe spaces change outcomes for children and what the data now confirms is that infrastructure is the foundation – but partnership is what turns that foundation into real opportunity for children.”
Safe sanitation, nourishing meals and books to read
Since 2023, our Pit Toilet Campaign has raised R40 million and installed 1,028 toilets and urinals across 53 schools in four provinces, improving sanitation for 18,511 learners and staff. Kitchens we placed at pre- and primary schools enabled approximately 72,180 meals per month, while four school libraries reached 1,889 learners and supported access to more than 6,000 books.
The need remains urgent
Despite the progress, demand significantly outpaces supply. In 2025, we received 602 applications for support and funded 79 projects – a ratio of more than 8:1. The impact evidence confirms the urgency: for every rand invested in quality early childhood development, between R7 and R13 is returned over time.
Read the full 2025 Impact Report
Our 2025 Impact Report is available to download now.
