The Do More Foundation Trust
What does your company do?
The Do More Foundation is a South African non-profit organisation that works to create better tomorrows for young children. We collaborate with communities, businesses, and government to support early childhood development (ECD) with a special focus on nutrition, parenting, and early learning in under-resourced areas. Our programmes are grounded in practical action and collective impact bringing together diverse partners to strengthen systems around the child in the early years.
Through flagship initiatives like our parent support programme; Eat Love Play Talk, Young Child Forums and capacity building, and community programmes, we empower caregivers, ECD practitioners, and local champions to ensure that every child in targeted communities accrues South Africa have better tomorrows through partnerships.
What is your biggest success?
One of my greatest achievements has been leading the development and national rollout of the Eat Love Play Talk programme which is an innovative, evidence-informed initiative that empowers ECD practitioners and parents with practical tools to support young children’s nutrition, development, and early learning. What began as a small pilot is now embedded in multiple provinces, reaching thousands of caregivers and children. As a Mandela Rhodes Scholar, this journey has brought to life a dream I held as I entered my working life as a social worker. This being to combine deep community work with systems-level change. I’ve helped build a team of committed changemakers and co-created a model that is scalable, locally rooted, and grounded in dignity. The real achievement to witness rural ECD champions lead with confidence, parents become more engaged, and early childhood systems shift toward inclusion and equity. As a young woman in South Africa, I’ve always known that my contribution would be to do something excellently with young children and families and that is what I have spent more than a decade dedicated to —work that is deeply purposeful, collaborative, and rooted in empowerment.
What has been your biggest hurdle?
I’ve poured myself fully into the work and building excellence and credibility behind the ECD work we do. Ive had to learn how to pace that commitment without burning out. The NGO world is fast but also resource scare. As a young woman in leadership, especially in the non-profit sector, there’s often an unspoken pressure to constantly prove your value, deliver excellence, and hold others together. Social workers are often trained to lead with empathy and systems thinking but we aren’t always equipped with strong financial or operational skills a this level. Stepping into a senior role in an NPO has pushed me to build this capacity, bridging heart-led leadership with sound, strategic management. Balancing that with personal wellbeing, motherhood, and the emotional labour of working in under-resourced communities has been a profound journey. As a mother of 2 small children, I am constantly learning how to juggle all the expectations of my working world and my home. This hurdle has ultimately shaped my resilience, sharpened my leadership, and made a more human leader than ever before.
