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.