Our Story
WHO WE ARE
A Journey of Humble Beginnings
The calling to ignite change in the community of the Valley of 1000 Hills by impacting the lives and futures of children was the heart behind the formation of our Organisation. Moved by the words, “start where you are, use what you have, do what you can,” philosophy, our Founders, Danie and Judy van den Heever embraced the opportunity to be active change makers by establishing Focus on iThemba in 2003. ‘iThemba’ in isiZulu means ‘hope’ – a befitting name for an Organisation whose core belief is providing children with life-altering change and opportunity.
Based on the iThemba Campus in Hillcrest, KwaZulu-Natal, we are an established non-profit, public benefit organisation who have been committed to making a lasting impact on low-income communities for over 20 years. We recognize the significance of education to transform lives and believe that this transformation begins with nurturing the minds of young children. While our primary focus is on supporting a child’s holistic development, our reach extends far beyond this. Through the work of our various Programmes, we also impact families, teachers, and microenterprises in the form of our Pre-Schools, all of which are spheres of influence that directly affect the growth of a child.
If you plant for a day you plant flowers, if you plant for years then you plant trees, if you plant for eternity you plant ideas and time into the lives of young people.
Danie van den Heever - Founder and Executive Chairman at Focus on iThemba




Vision & Mission
- To identify and collaborate with Friends and Donors with common passions and connect them with our programmes and initiatives to experience the contagious joy of giving.
- To expand our elevating iThemba Educare Programme to ensure more little children receive
quality age-appropriate education within their first 2000 days and beyond. - To engage with our community by sharing knowledge, building partnerships and thereby uplifting the Pre-Schools.
- To expand our life-changing iThemba Scholars Programme to broaden the opportunity for previously disadvantaged boys and girls and to guide them through their educational
journey. - To finish well with our iThemba foster children and maintain deep connection and relationship with them.
- To enlarge our reach and impact through our Parent Training Programme, harnessing it to
educate and empower parents to strengthen and elevate communities. - To continue our philosophy of being biodiversity stewards, both on and off the iThemba Campus.
- To implement eco-friendly systems and practices on the iThemba Campus to become
carbon neutral. - To ensure the organisation is sustainable over the long term and to prioritize effective communication with our Friends & Donors.