Project Report
| Oct 16, 2026
Paint the pre-school
By Deborah van Dongen | CEO
![Hearts of Hope Pre-School]()
Hearts of Hope Pre-School
During the dry winter season in South Africa we took the opportunity to refresh and repaint the exterior of our pre-school (kindergarten). 26 of the Hearts of Hope children attend our own pre-school where they receive trauma informed educational care, input and development. The pre-school is registered with the education department of South Africa and as such not only in terms of compliance requirements but also to maintain the high standard of facilities we have, ongoing maintenance is essential.
Why is painting a school important ? There are a number of reasons why this is important to us at Hearts of Hope:
- We take governance extremely seriously and as good stewards of what donors have given to us, it is an essential part of our stewardship that we care for and maintain what has been built for us by the generosity of others
- Respect - we respect the work that we do and the children that we look after and the custodianship that we have been granted by the Children's Court to have the children placed in our care. As such, making sure that their environment is clean, hygienic and well cared for is of value to us.
- One of our organisational values is dignity and a well cared for, well presented and maintained environment ensures the children and Teachers feel valued and know that they are treated with dignity.
We believe passionately in education and as such the provision of an educational environment that allows the children to learn, grow and succeed is essential.
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Jun 18, 2026
Winter painting for fun in the sun
By Catherine Bean | Development Officer
![Lunchtime at the preschool]()
Lunchtime at the preschool
As it is the wintertime in South Africa, it is the perfect time in Johannesburg to paint houses and schools as Johannesburg is dry and cold in the wintertime. It would make it much easier to paint in the winter sun, and to ensure that we are spring cleaned and freshly ready for the summer months ahead.
We would really appreciate any contribution towards the paint and the labour to set the school up for the next few years.
It is Mandela Day coming up in South Africa in July and often corporates and individuals give of their time and money to commemorate the memory of Nelson Mandela our first democratic President and a true statesman.
One of his quotes states: "Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world'.
Help Hearts of Hope change the lives of the children in our care through a wonderful education and creative development space
![So many children to educate in the school!]()
So many children to educate in the school!
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Feb 18, 2026
A makeover of the baby nursery and kitchen!
By Catherine Bean | Development Officer
![A before photo of one of the walls]()
A before photo of one of the walls
At the beginning of the year, a company called Jukka Construction approached Hearts of Hope to sponsor a painting project at the children's home. They sponsored the actual painting and the paint itself was sponsored by Paintcor
The team painted one of the houses, our baby nursery and the main kitchen for all the houses. With 52 children living at the home, there are a lot of hands that can dirty the walls.
We still need to do a paint makeover of the pre-school and it would be wonderful if other construction and paint companies can also come on board to help us achieve this.
Please help us to make our school a bright and cheerful place for the children.
![Work in progress in the nursery]()
Work in progress in the nursery
![The beautiful finished product]()
The beautiful finished product
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