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 | Jan 14, 2026
What we are up to REAL TIME!

By Louise | Managing Director

Emotional Intellegence infographic

Avuxeni, minjani? Umfikile minjane!

Well it has been a big week since starting back! We have laid our plans for the next quarter and have strategized about how we are going to achieve the targets laid out and maintain the standard of interventions for the coming year.

If you could hear the noise of the staff and the excitement, they have about commencing 2026, it is wonderful (except if you are trying to do laptop work!! LOL). Last week we all participated in a SWOT process. This is a bit different to how other organizations do it. We ask each staff member, what are their personal Strengths? What are their personal Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. Why is this different? Well its because we ask the rest of the staff to comment in an uplifting way, about that staff members SWOT.

What comes out is amazing and confronting. Some staff who don’t know the process can become very defensive, others take the criticism and well and ask for help to address their weaknesses and threats.

Let me use me as an example.

According to the staff:

I care too much
Visionary, I see 5yrs ahead and this can cause panic in other staff.
I believes in people too much, I give too many chances for people to correct their behaviour before disciplinary taking action.
I trust too easily, I trust until I am proven wrong.
I don’t see SHG or Scout groups very often.
I am too honest.
Stubborn, very strong willed.
Takes time to adapt to change.
She gets very upset and changes colour.

Just to explain the last comment, because I am the only white fellar here, apparently, when I am feeling strongly, whether angry, happy, sad, sick, hot etc I change colour and this is really disconcerting for the staff. I find it an amusing observation; however, the staff are serious.

So after the SWOT we ask our peers or other staff members to assist us to change, to point out when we are, in my case, too stubborn, or too caring or too trusting. In this way we can all change and adapt and address our weaknesses as identified. It works very well on a personal level and overall, the organization benefits. I will endeavour to change, however I can’t guarantee that I will stop changing colour.

Today, everyone is here having a First Aid Refresher to ensure that the kids are safe while in our care. Tomorrow the kids go back to school, and we will start early in February to give the kids a chance to settle into routine, unless they hunt us down. The SHG program didn’t close over the Christmas period, the ladies still were meeting.

I hope you enjoyed the update. Thank you for making all this possible.

Blessings

Louise

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Jan 7, 2026
The Founders Paradox!

By Louise | Managing Director

The Dream Team!

Avuxeni! Minjane? Umfekile Minjani!

Someone said to me the other day, “Caring is not Leadership!”

Why did this hit me so hard?

When you are the founder and leader of an organization often you are faced with very difficult decisions which not only have impact on the organization but also on the lives of the people you work with. Caring is not enough!

I care very much, I care very deeply, enough to bring me from Australia to South Africa, to make a difference in people's lives. I care to the point that I have sacrificed my comfort, my friends, my family, my security, my finances, my easy-going life, to come here and serve the people.

Why am I saying all this? It’s not for accolades or recognition. The bottom line is I CARE!

But caring is NOT leadership. Sometimes tough decisions need to be made despite my relationships and friendships. Sometimes, for the sake of the organization, decisions need to be made that benefit the whole and not individuals.

Leadership is being able to guide a group of people or an organization to achieve its goals. Leadership is about making the tough decisions regardless as to relationships.

Why am I sharing all of this? I will be honest with you, I am in a difficult position, I need to restructure KTD196 in order for the organization to survive. That will have severe impact and implications on people who are friends as well as colleagues.

You probably don’t want to know about this side of the work we do; you probably just want all the warm fuzzy stories of impact in children and women’s lives. I don’t blame you. There is enough trauma and pain out there. However, I want you to know who I am and what is happening at all levels of KTD196 because you are financially and relationally invested in us, in the work we do.

It hit me very hard because I am experiencing the "Founder’s Paradox": the painful intersection where my deep personal mission meets the cold reality of organizational survival.

When I sacrificed my security and comfort for a cause, the organization isn't just a job—it’s an extension of my identity. When I have to restructure, it feels like I am hurting a part of myself or betraying the very people I came to serve.

Its is almost like a conflict of identities. I moved across the world because I am a Humanitarian. However, to keep my mission alive, I must now act as a Strategist.

The Humanitarian sees the individual friend and their family.
The Strategist sees the thousands of women and children who will lose everything if the organization collapses entirely.

The "hit" I feel is the collision of these two roles. I am not losing my empathy; I am experiencing the weight of stewardship.

Leadership is lonely, especially in a restructure. I am the only one holding the full picture of the organization's fragility. While my colleagues see a lost job or a changed role, I see the survival of the entire vision. This weight is heavy because I can’t fully share it with the people affected without causing more panic.

In social impact work, we often equate "doing good" with "being kind." When a leader has to make a decision that causes temporary pain (like a layoff or restructure), it can feel like a moral failure. I feel like I am breaking a silent promise to protect my team, even though the decision is actually made to protect the mission.

As I mentioned you might not want to hear this side of things, but sharing all this is actually an act of integrity:

Authenticity over Marketing: By showing you the struggle, I want to move from being a "charity figurehead" and for you to be a real partner.
You need to know that I am not just "nice," but that I am trustworthy and competent and willing to do the hard things to ensure your investment doesn't go to waste.

I am human just like you! Thank you for reading this ramble, I just needed to articulate what I was feeling, the grief I am experiencing, but also the resolution to do what is right by all concerned.

Thank you for being you, for your support,

Blessings

Louise

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Dec 24, 2025
New Years message for 2026!

By Louise | Managing Director

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