I4118 Foundation

23/10/2026

18/10/2026

"Self control is the ability to keep it cool when someone is making it hot for you.”

Most of us have been there. A harsh word, a pushed button, a moment where everything in us wants to answer back louder. Adults know how hard that is. Imagine how much harder it is for a child.

At i4118 Foundation, self-control is one of the seven values we live and teach. In our little family of characters, it is Nia who carries it. She never needs to shout. She breathes deep, speaks slowly and stays steady, and somehow her calm spreads to everyone around her.

We love that picture, because it is true to life. Self-control is not about pressing feelings down. It is about learning that a feeling is not a command. A child who has been shown, patiently and kindly, how to pause will carry that gift into every friendship, classroom and home.

The wisdom of Scripture has said it for a very long time. A gentle answer turns away anger, and a person who rules their own spirit is stronger than one who captures a city. We believe that, and we try to model it. Our mentors do not teach calm with lectures. They show it by staying steady with a child, week after week, even on the hot days. That is part of being the hands and feet of Christ to the young people we walk beside.

If you would like to know more about our long term mentorship in Alberton, Katlehong, Eden Park and Thokoza, or you feel called to walk beside a young person yourself, we would love to hear from you.

WhatsApp or call us on 011 026 1711 (https://wa.me/27110261711), or visit www.i4118.org.

15/10/2026

Some of the most important conversations in a young person’s life don’t happen in a classroom. They happen under a tree, with nowhere to rush off to.

That is the picture on our new poster, and it is the heart of what we do. A child sits beside an adult who has chosen to stay. Not for a day, not for a project, but for the long road. There is laughter. There is ease. And slowly, week by week, there is trust.

At i4118 Foundation, we believe confidence is not taught in a single lesson. It grows when a child is seen, listened to and walked alongside, again and again. We think of it as standing in the gap for a young person: being present where the need is real, and staying when it is not easy. It is a small way of being the hands and feet of Christ in the places we live.

Our name comes from a promise in Isaiah 41:18, that God opens rivers on barren heights and makes dry ground a place of springs. We have seen that promise take shape in ordinary moments. A teenager laughing again. A quiet child finding a voice. A family that finally feels held.

If you live in Alberton, Katlehong, Eden Park or Thokoza and know a child or teenager who could use a steady friend, we would love to hear from you. If you feel the pull to walk beside a young person yourself, please reach out as well. You are welcome here.

WhatsApp us on 0110261711 (https://wa.me/27110261711) or visit www.i4118.org.

Building confidence. Inspiring purpose. Walking together. Growing together.

13/10/2026

oday the Class of 2026 sits down to write their final exams.

Somewhere in Gauteng right now, a matric learner is zipping up a school bag that feels heavier than it did yesterday. Maybe there is a new pencil case inside. Maybe a parent or gogo pressed a small prayer into their hand at the gate. Twelve years of mornings, uniforms, homework and hard days have led to this one.

To every matric learner reading this: we are proud of you. Not only for the marks you hope for, but for the character you have built just by getting here.

Some of you studied in quiet homes with plenty of light. Some of you studied by candlelight, on a bed shared with a sibling, or on a bus seat. Every one of you is seen.

Here is what we believe for you today. Courage is not the absence of nerves. It is walking into the room anyway. Self control is breathing slowly when your mind goes blank. Integrity is writing your own answers and trusting that they are enough. And Scripture reminds us that we do not have to carry anxiety alone. When we bring our worries to God, there is a peace that guards our hearts and minds, even when the paper in front of us feels impossible.

We are standing in the gap for you today. We are praying for you, cheering for you and believing in you.

To the parents, mentors, teachers and neighbours: send a message today. A short one is enough.

What is one piece of advice you would give a matric starting exams today? Share it below. Let us fill this page with encouragement.

Uncle Gavin and the i4118 family

01/10/2026

Paul wrote to Timothy when Timothy was young, and probably a little unsure of himself. He didn't tell him to wait until he was older. He told him not to let anyone look down on him, and then he pointed him to what would actually make his life speak: the way he talked, the way he lived, the way he loved, the way he trusted God, and the way he kept his heart clean.

I think about that often when I sit in a circle with the kids.

Many of them come from homes where no one has told them they are capable of much. Some have learnt to expect less from themselves because others have expected less from them. And then, someone laughs at a joke, someone else listens properly, and a child/teen who usually stays quiet says something wise. You can see it land on their face.

That is what we are doing at i4118 Foundation in Alberton, Thokoza, Katlehong and Palm Ridge. We are not trying to fix children. We are standing in the gap, week after week, so they know they are seen, and so they begin to see what God has placed in them. We are trying to be the hands and feet of Christ in small, ordinary ways: a shared meal, a bike ride, a walk to the mountain, a mentor who keeps showing up.

Young people do not become examples by being told to. They become examples when someone walks beside them long enough for love, faith and integrity to take root. Then one day they are the ones setting the pace for others.

If you have a young person in your life, tell them today that their age does not disqualify them. Then stay close enough to help them believe it.

Would you like to walk with us as a mentor, or support the children in another way? Send us a message or visit www.i4118.org.

With gratitude,
Uncle Gavin