How a Spark Becomes a Flame

When big hearts combine, good stuff happens.

Kindling Lerato School

Kindling Lerato is located in Dennilton, Mpumalanga, South Africa - a daycare created through the heart and hands of Kindling volunteers and donations.

Today, Kindling Lerato supports 54 children and their families. The centre provides a safe, nurturing space for children while parents are at work, searching for employment or commuting long distances to Pretoria. Some children live with grandparents, older siblings, or extended family, and Kindling Lerato becomes the place that holds them during the day. Each morning, children are dropped off before school and welcomed back after school, where they receive care, safety, meals, and connection. For many families, the centre offers stability, routine and peace of mind.

What makes Kindling Lerato so special is that it was built through volunteer spirit and collective belief - a reminder that when people come together with kindness and purpose, real change is possible.

Your Donations help keep the doors open and the children supported every day.

Spotlight Story: Palesa’s Journey

In 2010, when baby Palesa was just one week old she was abandoned by her mother and unable to be cared for by her father who struggled with alcoholism she had nowhere to go. That’s when Maria Gaba stepped in with no resources of her own, Maria took Palesa into her home and did whatever she could to keep her alive. She didn’t even have money for formula and fed her water from a bottle in those early days. But she gave her something far more powerful: safety, love, and a chance at life.

As the years passed, another challenge emerged. Because Palesa was not born in South Africa and had no birth certificate, she was not allowed to attend school.

Then in 2019, everything changed. Our co-founder, Grant worked tirelessly to find a way to get Palesa and two other children in Maria’s care into school. Using funds generously donated by our community, with Maria, we hired a lawyer who helped navigate the complex process. And it worked. Palesa started Grade 1 that year, only one year behind. A miracle made possible by Grant determination, Maria’s love and our communities support.

And now… can you believe it? In 2025, Palesa started high school.
A moment that once felt so far away is now her reality.

Her journey is just one of many made possible through consistent care, community support and belief in what’s possible when children are given the chance to learn, grow, and dream.