Focus on iThemba
Grow Hearts and Minds
It is in your hands to create a better world for all who live in it!
Focus on iThemba
The 41-acre iThemba campus based in Hillcrest, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa is ideally situated for working with previously disadvantaged children in the Valley of 1000 Hills and surrounds.
The core pillars which steer the NPO are iThemba Community, iThemba Scholars, iThemba Campus, iThemba Homes, and iThemba Friends & Donors.
It is their vision to Grow Hearts and Minds by investing in children through quality education resulting in life-altering positive change.
iThemba Community: Focus on iThemba believes in the power of education, it is generally recognised as one of the most powerful transformational tools. The iThemba Schools Enterprise Development Model upgrades existing Pre-Schools in the Embo Valley to become legal and sustainable businesses.
Currently, they partner with eight Pre-Schools with the aim to increase this to ten in 2019. Over 500 boys and girls receive quality Early Childhood Development care enabling them to thrive at later Foundation Phase schooling. Principals and teachers receive support, training and mentorship through NELRU.
The strength of the programme is the Field Workers who ensure the Pre-Schools receive support and that core educational principles and routines are instilled correctly. Focus on iThemba also partner with GROW, The Unlimited Child and JAM ensuring an effective programme.
iThemba Scholars: Focus on iThemba currently offers eight scholarships to learners from their ECD partners who demonstrate the potential to thrive academically to attend Waterfall Schools.
Located on the iThemba Campus, Waterfall Schools, encompassing Waterfall Pre-Primary, Waterfall Preparatory and Waterfall College, offer quality education from 12 months to Grade 12. These centres of excellence provide quality holistic education with a caring, innovative, personalized approach interwoven with Christian values, community outreach initiatives and affordability.
In 2019 there are two scholarships from Pre-Primary level up on offer.
iThemba Homes: For over ten years, Focus on iThemba has been involved with cluster foster care for orphaned and vulnerable children on the iThemba Campus. From 2016 the iThemba Homes concept was adapted into the Esther Model - this model allowed families to foster an iThemba child in their own home.
Focus on iThemba provides professional support for the family through their Social Worker and the funds required for education, clothing and food. The original iThemba Kids (foster children) have mostly completed their schooling.
iThemba Campus: The offices are located in KwaZulu-Natal near Hillcrest, the 41-acre campus overlooks the Valley of 1000 Hills, strategically placed on adjacent to the rural Embo community which is marked by unemployment and poverty.
The landscaping philosophy for the iThemba Campus is to work towards having a ‘Natural Estate’ that is 100% indigenous and will showcase the many indigenous medicinal, bulbs, shrubs trees and the unique grasslands
.
There are over 2500 indigenous trees and 1000s of shrubs, aloes, grasses, flowers and ground covers planted on the property.
iThemba Friends and Donors: iThemba friends and donors continue to be the catalyst that enables Focus on iThemba to achieve their goals.
Focus on iThemba is committed to ensuring that your gifts will bear much fruit in the lives of children in the years that lie ahead.
Focus on iThemba is a Public Benefit Organisation (PBO) this allows donations received to be tax deductible. In addition, we are BBBEE compliant and have up-to-date BBBEE certificates available to donors. Our Friends from the USA are able to donate through our accredited 501(c)(3) educational foundation company, Friends of iThemba, which provides an opportunity to receive tax deductions.
