The Unlimited Child CEO a finalist in the 2024 Santam Women of the Future Awards

The Unlimited Child, the largest and leading early childhood development (ECD) non-profit organisation in South Africa, has announced its CEO Candice Potgieter has been named a finalist in the prestigious 2024 Santam Women of the Future Awards in the Social Entrepreneur category.

This accolade, presented in association with FAIRLADY and TRUELOVE magazines, honours women entrepreneurs who have made significant contributions to South African society and the economy through their innovation, resilience and leadership.

Potgieter comes with an impressive background marked by academic excellence and leadership. She holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics from the University of KwaZulu-Natal and a postgraduate degree in Applied Physics. She was also part of the National Astrophysics and Space Science Programme at the University of Cape Town.

In recognition of her academic excellence and leadership potential, Potgieter was selected out of 50 000 applicants in Africa as a Mandela Washington Fellow, where she furthered her studies in Non-Profit Executive Management and Social Entrepreneurship at the Mendoza School of Business, University of Notre Dame in the United States.

When she joined The Unlimited Child in March 2016, the organisation had reached over 400 ECD centres which together cared for over 30 000 children and had provided training for more than 1 000 ECD practitioners. Eight years later, those statistics have shifted significantly.

Under Potgieter’s leadership, The Unlimited Child has won numerous awards, trained and mentored more than 10 000 ECD practitioners and equipped over 5 000 ECD centres, reaching more than 2 million children in underserved communities across not only South Africa but also Lesotho, Zimbabwe, Malawi and through humanitarian aid efforts in Yemen.

Potgieter says she is deeply grateful to lead an organisation that is so committed to making a tangible difference in the lives of society’s most vulnerable. “The harsh reality is that there are millions of children, not only in South Africa but worldwide, who lack access to quality early childhood education. However, we can unlock the care economy by supporting childminders to become ECD centre owners and viable micro-enterprises. When we do this, the children in their care have lifelong and everlasting benefits – and as a society, we reap the rewards of this investment.”

She adds, “I am so honoured to be recognised as a finalist in the Santam Women of the Future Awards. This recognition is a testament to the collective effort of The Unlimited Child team (which is mostly made up of women!) and our unwavering commitment to early childhood development. Our mission is to ensure every child has the opportunity to reach their full potential, and I am proud of the strides we have made in achieving this goal.”

The winners of the 2024 Santam Women of the Future Awards will be announced at a gala luncheon in Johannesburg in October.