Education South Africa Project #15130

Lifeskills for 8 children in South Africa - Pilot

A microproject by Keep The Dream196

Lifeskills for 8 children in South Africa - Pilot

Project Report | Nov 4, 2025
What an AMAZING job I have!!

By Louise | Managing Director

Louise and the First Lady of South Africa!

Every time I think of the essential work we do, I realise how privileged I am to be a part of it all. I know that probably sounds very odd, since I am the founder and the managing director however it is such a honour and I receive such joy from the work we do. I love seeing the looks on children’s faces when they realise, they are loved and accepted. They have a home with us where they can thrive.

Recently, last week, I attended a Symposium hosted by Heartlines, a South African Based NGO who’s goal and vision are below.

Heartlines vision is to see a more equitable, caring, cohesive, healthy and just society.

Our mission is to help people live their better selves for the common good.

Our team's values are:

We care for each other
We go the extra mile
We choose integrity
We never give up
We have fun and are creative

I was a part of the panel speaking to the research they had done regarding the role of fathers in today’s society.

If you have been with us for a while, you will know that we believe in educating men and women, shifting power structures between children and parents/adults in a way that is not combative but relational. What that means is we have taken the lessons from history of the past conflicts between men and women with feminism and learnt to bring both parties together so that what had been a traditional power base structure, is transitioned were by we empower both sides through education and addressing cultural biases to ensure that both parties share the power in an equitable manner. (Using a Rights Based Approach – Article 12 of the UNCRC of Child Participation).

Having said that, the CRSA (Children’s Rights Situational Analysis) we performed in 2022 under pinned that parents/adults are afraid to share power with the children, we have been working tirelessly to address the shift in an informed manner, and parents are now embracing the shift. The children are being empowered, and all parties are winning.

The research performed by Heartlines unpacks this effectively. It was an honour to be on a panel as the only practitioner amongst Doctors and Professors discussing the work we do and the impact we have achieved. I also had the privilege to meet and spend time with the 1^st Lady of South Africa!!! What amazes me about the role I have is that 3 short weeks ago I was camping in the mud, and 150 plus children, then last week, hobnobbing with Academics and meeting the Presidents wife. This job is just so unpredictable.

None of this is possible without your belief in the work we do, the impact we have is directly related to the support we receive. You are pushing KTD196 to a national stage. We are being noticed. I was able to make contact with Department of Social Development as well Department of Basic Education and share my frustrations, experiences, fears and concerns on behalf of the children and women we serve.

Watch this space.

Thank you, none of this would be possible without you keeping the lights on fuel in the vehicle, so that we can continue to change lives. God Bless you

Louise

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Oct 23, 2025
Celebrating Spurs Birthday!

By Louise | Managing Director

Ready, set EAT!!!!

Good morning, how are you doing?

I just want to share this week about what happened yesterday. We were invited to bring 40 young people together for a birthday party celebration for a local chain restaurant, SPUR. As part of their Corporate Social Investment commitment, they supported us at camp two weeks ago with providing SPUR burgers to the winners at the Camporee, and yesterday it was to celebrate 58^th birthday of SPUR in South Africa.

Yesterday, we were invited to arranged 40 young people to attend the birthday party, it was wonderful, the look of absolute delight on the faces of the children as they experience hamburgers for the first time, cheese on the burgers was something new.

Burger bread with a beef patty, wow, the usual meat for the rural areas is chicken, for the poorer people often crickets, mopani worms, spinach etc so having beef was very new for most of these kids. Then came the accompaniments, tomato sauce, chips with barbeque and thousand islands sauce, all new.

Then came desert, ICE CREAM!!! With sprinkles, what a wonderful exuberant response. None of the kids had never had soft serve ice cream.

Finally, birthday cake!!!!

I watched one young girl, only about 7, slowly take her spoon and scrape it over the cream in the cake and deliberately take the small amount on her spoon and put it to her mouth, she sucked on the spoon to get every morsel, and savoured it for 10-15seconds, slowly relishing every flavour and texture and then slowly move on to the next taste sensation. It was so beautiful to watch her deliberately savour every mouthful as opposed to the boys who just wolfed down everything on their plates in contrast.

The children were able to play on the extensive play equipment between courses and plus SPUR sang happy birthday with us all and then put up a wonderful song called following the leader which got the whole restaurant up to sing and dance. The children were absolutely agog. I have posted a video for you to see the generosity of SPUR and pictures so that you also can enjoy.

The children who attended the birthday celebration would never ever have been able to have this experience without the support from Spur. Their circumstances would just never allow this opportunity. Going to a restaurant is something that many of us take for granted, we may do it weekly, but to my embarrassment I forgot how privileged I am but looking at the children’s faces, I was very humbled and grateful for the life and advantages I have been given.

Thank you for reading this letter, I hope you enjoyed it

Blessings

Louise

Love the joy!

The kids received masks and party packs!

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Oct 21, 2025
Camporee 2025 Part 2!

By Louise | Managing Director

Learning to pitch a tent is so foreign!

One of the things I love about the work we do is that the kids in particular are so open to new and different experiences, I love seeing the A HA! Moments on the children’s faces. I love it when we push them to the end of themselves and they come to the party and excel even their own expectations. I love watching the sense of achievement and pride which travels across their faces in the huge smiles they exhibit.

All of this happens in the mud, in the cold, in the extremes, and yet the kids are already planning for 2026’s Camporee attendance! These kids overwhelm me with their passion and their readiness to learn and experience more. For some of these children, they have never been to Tzaneen, just a short 20minute taxi ride away from home, still we have children that have never seen a traffic light, an escalator, a mall, its all too beyond their understand, then to come to camp! The experience is just mind blowing.

Camping gives them a different world view, new friends, new challenges, new activities, new food. They are exposed to nature in a new way, they see baboons, porcupine, bush pig and buck, (fortunately no hippo’s this time away), up close. They gain a new appreciation for nature and become ardent protectors.

Going away from home also breaks them out of their routines, takes them away from the pressures and stresses of village life, shebeen’s (bars), bully’s, boredom, stealing and muggings, sick and dependent family members and allows the children to be children. The children become changed, they become a bit bigger than the children who came on the first day, they are stronger, more resilient, more capable, more adventurous, just more generally.

You have blessed these kids through your support but also you have blessed us as KTD196 staff. We love seeing the changes in the children, the confidence it brings, the multitude of smiles despite their home circumstances. You empower us as well, going to camp is exhausting but refreshing at the same time. It refocuses us on what is important, the children, often we can get weighed down by reports, budgets, paperwork etc, but camp is great for our souls as well. Thank you so much for your gifts, we max out every last cent, I promise you.

I hope you are as blessed as we feel after the Camporee! Please take the time to click on the link below to the Gallery where so many of the photos have been uploaded.

With Gratitude

Louise

Last years Camporee WINNERS! 1st Eestergeluk!

Judges doing Quality Assurance Checks!

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