Sesame Workshop International South Africa

Sesame Workshop South Africa is a trusted non-profit helping children thrive through both mass media and hands-on community programmes. 

Without strong foundations, many children fall behind in reading, numeracy and life skills, especially in under-resourced communities, where quality early childhood development (ECD) services, trained educators and accessible learning materials are limited. 

Our goal is to close those gaps, ensuring all children, regardless of background, can thrive. 

Since its launch in 2000, our flagship show Takalani Sesame has grown into one of South Africa’s most beloved educational shows, reaching 3.8 million children every month through television, radio, mobile apps and digital platforms. 

Beyond the Takalani Sesame content, our Watch, Play, Learn and Play to Learn initiatives bring structured viewing, play-based learning and caregiver training into ECD centres and communities. 

We build school readiness and foundational skills, promote diversity and inclusion, and support parents, teachers and social workers, reaching thousands of children nationwide and creating lasting impact for families and communities. 

Research guides the design, delivery and continuous improvement of all our programmes. Our monitoring, evaluation and learning processes ensure that our work delivers meaningful, measurable outcomes.