Finding Thabo, the play-based early childhood development programme developed by The Reach Trust in partnership with the LEGO Foundation and South Africa’s Department of Basic Education, has launched its 2026 Video Competition for ECD practitioners across the country. The programme, built around a “Where’s Wally”-style search-and-find game delivered through printed illustrations alongside Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp chatbots, has spent years helping caregivers and teachers support early brain development in under-resourced communities, and this competition invites the practitioners using it daily to share their own stories with the activity.

The competition carries a solid incentive for participation: a first prize worth R10,000, ten Finding Thabo playmats, and fifty R100 airtime prizes up for grabs. Entries close on September 30, 2026, with full submission requirements detailed on the official competition poster.

Finding Thabo’s mission rests on a well-documented reality in early childhood education: roughly 90 percent of brain development happens before age five, yet many South African children, particularly in low-resource settings, don’t receive the stimulation needed to build strong learning foundations before school starts. By combining physical playmats with accessible digital guidance, the programme has aimed to close that gap directly in classrooms and homes, making ECD practitioners not just users of the tool but frontline advocates for the children they teach.

For more information on the competition and the Finding Thabo programme, visit bookdash.org.