Reflecting on 2024: A Year of Resilience, Growth, and Hope

As 2024 comes to a close, we at Starfish Greathearts Foundation look back on a year defined by resilience, growth, and a renewed sense of hope. Our work this year has brought us face-to-face with the challenges facing South Africa’s children and communities, as well as the incredible strength and courage they display each day. With the unwavering support of our donors, volunteers, and partners, we’ve been able to achieve remarkable milestones, empower thousands of young lives, and create brighter futures for those we serve. Here, we reflect on the impact we’ve made together and celebrate the progress and promise of the year.

 

Education: Laying the Foundation for Lifelong Learning

Education is the cornerstone of our mission, and in 2024, we expanded our educational initiatives to provide quality learning opportunities to more children than ever before. Our Early Childhood Development (ECD) programs, which focus on numeracy, literacy, and foundational skills, have been instrumental in shaping the futures of young learners.

• 5,220 books were distributed across our network, ensuring children in multiple languages and regions had access to storybooks, thanks to our partner, Book Dash.
• 800+ children enrolled in our ECD programs, receiving essential resources like reading materials, toys, and structured curriculum activities.
• 938 pairs of school shoes, 685 socks, and 681 stationery packs were provided by Investec Bank (LTD) SA, removing barriers to education and empowering children to attend school with confidence.

With these initiatives, we’ve witnessed over 80% of our ECD participants demonstrate marked improvement in numeracy and literacy skills, providing them with a strong foundation as they enter primary school.

Health and Wellness: Ensuring Vital Support 

In 2024, our Health and Wellness programs continued to address critical health needs in the communities we serve. Through our Wellness Wagon services, we’ve been able to provide accessible healthcare and referrals for children and families who might otherwise go without essential services. This year has been particularly impactful in addressing the ongoing battle against tuberculosis (TB) and HIV, which continue to pose severe challenges in many areas.

• Over 11 315 health screenings were conducted through our Wellness Wagon, identifying cases in need of further medical attention.
• Over 9 534 nappies per quarter were provided to special needs children by BSN Medical (Essity), ensuring comfort and support for those with additional needs.
• Our referral program, in partnership with local clinics and hospitals, facilitated access to necessary treatments and support for children facing health challenges, particularly TB and HIV.
  
  

Our health initiatives have improved clinic attendance among children referred through our programs, fostering community wellness and emphasising the value of proactive healthcare.

Nutrition: Feeding Minds and Bodies

Good nutrition is essential for children’s growth and development, and our Nutrition Program has made significant strides this year in combating food insecurity. By providing regular, nutritious meals, we’ve helped our children focus on learning, play, and personal growth rather than hunger.

• Over 200,000 meals were served in 2024, providing much-needed nourishment for children across our programs.
• All children present in our ECD Programmes received nutritious meals daily, ensuring consistent access to food and contributing to improved physical health and cognitive function.
  
  

Social Services: Building Supportive Communities

Social support plays a crucial role in a child’s development, and our Social Services team has been dedicated to providing emotional, social, and psychological assistance to children and families. In 2024, we focused on expanding our reach to ensure every child had access to resources for personal and social well-being.

Through these efforts, we’ve seen improvements in school attendance and engagement from our participants, reinforcing the importance of social services as a foundation for healthy growth and development.

Training and skills development

Training and skills development is vital to ensure better service in our centres. We facilitated training for a few of our centers, in partnership with WordWorks in the Every Word Counts Program. This is to contribute to early literacy development in children. We hope to scale this training to all our Early Childhood Development supported centres next year. Our volunteer doctor conducted training every quarter with the centre practitioners on relevant topics like sensory integration and our team did training for practitioners on important topics like self-esteem in children, punishment, and discipline. We also had a valuable training session with our partner GROW ECD on how to develop policies for ECD centres. SmartStart also equipped our practitioners with a 5-day ECD training which covered many relevant topics. We hope to continue with training into the new year.

A Community of Change

None of this progress would have been possible without the collaboration and generosity of our donors, volunteers, and partners. Together, we have created an ecosystem of care across South Africa, touching the lives of thousands of children and their families.

• Our volunteers generously dedicated their time, skills, and compassion to support our programs, making a lasting impact on the lives of our children.
• Our partnerships with organizations like Investec Bank, Book Dash, and BSN Medical (Essity) have allowed us to expand our impact and serve more communities in need.

Looking back on 2024, we are overwhelmed with gratitude and pride for what we’ve achieved together. This year has been a testament to the power of community, resilience, and shared commitment. Thank you to each of our supporters who made this year a success. As we look toward 2025, we’re excited to build on these achievements and continue creating brighter futures for South Africa’s children.

Together, we’re empowering lives and changing communities—one child at a time.