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The ECD center began as an extension of the love that the founder Sylvia Hobe had for children who would come to her house for food and assistance with homework. This sparked a realization within her that there was a deep-rooted problem in the Nyanga community. The problem being that there was little attention given to children in their early childhood development. Thus, Sylvia Hobe started the Khanyisa Early Childhood Development Centre in 1985 and Inkwenkwezi Early Childhood Development Centre in 1997.

What started as a mere after school childhood care program has vastly developed into an ECD that provides support not only for young children but also for training for young mothers. The ECD is emboldened and founded on the ethos of Sylvia’s character, that of a principled woman and a disciplinarian. These characteristics are needed by young children growing up in the township of Nyanga because it is heavily marred with gangsterism, crime and rampant child abuse. Despite growing up in a heavily disadvantaged township location, Theodora Lutuli describes how her mother installed in her this mantra “You are Theo, you are not Nyanga." These are some of the valuable lessons that have been taught to all the children that have gone through the ECD centres. Motivated by a deep-seated desire and passion to ensure that children overcome a disadvantaged background the ECD centres continues to grow.

With the aim of empowering young South Africans, she partnered with different organisations such as The Justice Desk. The Justice Desk approached Theodora to conduct a needs assessment and offer human and children’s rights training. Since our partnership began in 2017, The Justice Desk has run a series of children’s rights workshops, community development workshops and children’s rights march in Nyanga. The staff, community, parents and children of the two ECDs -- as well as the broader community have all been involved.

Theodora's belief in the ECD centre is based on the old age adage that “it takes a village to raise a child". In order to see a progressive realisation of children’s rights, child protection and development credit cannot be given to a single entity. It is through passion and meaningful collaboration that South Africa can fully realise the rights of children and ensure full development into successful adults, to the development of the nation and the continent as a whole.

Due to old age, Sylvia had to retire from running the ECDs and her Daughter Theo took over the centres and continued the work that was started by her mother. Theo is now the principal of both ECDs. She attributes her willingness to leave her full-time job and take on the responsibility of ECD centres to the virtues that were installed in her by her mother. Theo believes that becoming the head of the ECD centre was a natural course of events. She believed that she needed to give back to the community that raised her and attempt to save as many young children as possible that find themselves trapped in the vicious cycle of violence and crime.