Thanda

Providing a holistic response to the critical needs of children in rural Mtwalume, KZN

In 2008, Thanda was founded in an effort to fill the gaps for children where schools, social services, and communities had been stretched thin. What started as a basic model for after-school support has evolved into a holistic approach to community development. Today, we provide Educational & Organic Farming development programmes that impact over 14,500 individuals in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

04/09/2026

A heartfelt THANK YOU.

To all our individual donors and corporate partners, thank you for making our work possible. Your support powers our programmes, feeds our children, and helps to build resilience in our community.

Thank you to everyone who stands with Thanda. We see you. We appreciate you. 💚

03/09/2026

2026 might almost be done and there is so much IMPACT to share (and we will! In good time).

For now, we’d like to know… Have you seen our 2025 Impact Report?

One of our favourite bits from this report is our ELOM results! They show that 82% of the children in our ECDs were “on track” to start grade R this year – that’s DOUBLE the provincial benchmark!

Read about this and more in our 2025 Impact Report: https://bit.ly/4r1BeAH

Thank you for being part of this impact.

01/09/2026

Learning from the world around us at Umkhumbini ECD

At Umkhumbini ECD, sustainability isn’t just something we talk about with the children - it’s built into the way the space works.

Our closed-loop system helps children see how everything in nature is connected. Organic waste can become compost, compost helps things grow, and what we grow can in turn support the children and the ECD.

It’s a simple idea, but it gives children a very practical understanding of caring for the environment - Nothing needs to be wasted when we can find another use for it.

18/08/2026

Boys Night: More than a talk. It’s home away from home
Our boys at Thanda do not just learn but they live the lessons.

Together they:
Cook and clean for themselves
Sing songs to lift their spirits
Sit around the fire and share stories, advice and discuss their future.

Through our curriculum we teach them hygiene, responsibility, healthy relationships, and what it means to be a man in our societies while building long lasting brotherhood.

13/08/2026

Winter work, warm hearts 🌱

While many stayed inside to escape the cold, our farmers were out in the fields planting, growing and caring. At Thanda, winter isn’t a barrier. It’s a chance to grow fresh spinach, carrots, and cabbage to keep families healthy. In the last 3 months, our mentors facilitated 46 trainings to give farmers the skills to keep gardens thriving through winter.

Our gardens, our future!

09/08/2026

This Women's Day, we’re celebrating women like Zinhle.

"I started to fully understand the importance of raising a child holistically," Zinhle shares. "Not only looking after their well-being, but also making sure they are getting the right food and skills."

What began as a few seedlings, has grown into a thriving home garden that feeds Zinhle’s family. While she works, her sister Thobi attends Thanda’s Neighbourhood Learning Circles. Together with their mother and the children, they nurture the soil and share what they learn.

Three women. One garden. A lasting legacy of knowledge, resilience, and hope.

When we invest in women, the impact never stops with just one person, it grows through families and transforms entire communities. 🌾✨

07/08/2026

“Our superheroes wear many hats”

Can you guess who our key classroom partners are?

Yes, you guessed right, it’s our Guardians!

Since the start of the year our incredible guardians and guardians have been actively involved by:

✅ Attending ECD workshops where we equip them with practical ways to support their child's development at home.

✅ Visited our Thanda ECD classrooms to observe our daily routines and learning activities first-hand.

✅ Attended 21 Baby programme workshops focused on early growth and care.

The results of this partnership? Happier children, and a community that truly learns together.

To all our Guardians, you are our heroes! Let’s continue to guide these young minds and build a resilient community together!

Siyabonga for growing with us!🫶💚

05/08/2026

“Little hands, big impact”

Our Mkhumbini Eco- ECD children love being involved in daily gardening and feeding activities as part of their curriculum. Through these hands-on activities, they are grasping valuable lessons about food security, the environment and healthy living.

Every seed they plant is a lesson in sustainability, and every smile reflects the real joy they find in learning here.

That is what Thanda is all about, finding joy in learning!

03/08/2026

Sanibona! You may have noticed we've been a little quieter than usual on our social channels lately. 💚

We've been spending time where it matters most in our communities.

Over the past few weeks, we've been welcoming new neighbourhoods into our Learning Circles, supporting families through our Household Resilience Programme, celebrating creativity with our Gogo’s Arts & Crafts participants, watching children in our Inclusion Programme proudly create their own handmade items, and seeing our Eco-ECD space continue to grow with thriving gardens, and environmental learning woven into our everyday curriculum.

Behind the scenes, our Community Centre has welcomed a new cook who is helping prepare nutritious meals for children, while teams across our Early Childhood Development and Household Resilience Programmes have come together once again to as the “Stunting Task Force”, strengthening our shared commitment to giving every child the healthiest possible start in life.

And that's only part of what's been happening.

We've been busy listening, learning, documenting stories, and capturing moments that reflect the heart of our work. We can't wait to share them with you.

Siyabonga kakhulu for being part of the Thanda community and for walking this journey with us.

Stay tuned, there's so much more to come. 🙂

02/03/2026

Isithukuthezi asibi khona uma usebenza ngehlabathi 😉 Healthy roots = healthy plants. Protecting the soil protects the harvest.

These weird-looking things are nematodes. We learned about them during training with farmers and the FSED team. Nematodes can damage crops by attacking plant roots, causing swellings that block water and nutrient uptake, leaving plants stunted. Healthy soil really does matter.

Address

Port Shepstone

Telephone

+27396991253

Website

http://www.thanda.org/

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