Lerato Bodibe FoundationCreating access. Developing potential. Changing futures.

Creating access.
Developing potential.
Changing futures.

Potential is everywhere. Opportunity isn’t.

A South African nonprofit organisation creating opportunities for children and young people through nutrition, education, future skills, mentorship, sport and community development.

Explore our programmesPartner with us
Black-and-white portrait of a young learner resting his chin on his hand and looking upward
The Johannesburg skyline and Hillbrow Tower at sunset
NPC 2024/282817/08NPO 317-340Johannesburg, South Africa
Why we exist

Every child deserves the opportunity to become everything they are capable of becoming.

But children do not all begin their journeys with the same opportunities. For some, the first barrier is hunger. For others, it is access to education, technology, mentorship, equipment, networks or exposure to possibilities beyond their immediate environment.

Potential exists.
Opportunity does not always exist with it.

The Lerato Bodibe Foundation exists to help close that gap.

A learner in school uniform at a desk in a classroom, looking up thoughtfully

We address the needs that hold young people back today, while creating opportunities that can change their tomorrow.

About us
The opportunity gap

Talent is everywhere. Access is not.

South Africa’s young people are not short of ability or ambition. What many are short of is access to the things that turn potential into a future.

4.7mYoung people unemployed

South Africans aged 15–34 without work in the first quarter of 2026.

45.6%Not in work or study

Of young people aged 15–34 were not in employment, education or training.

60.9%Youngest job-seekers

Unemployment rate among those aged 15–24.

Source: Statistics South Africa, South Africa’s Youth and the Labour Market in Q1 2026.

Our approach

From basic needs to human potential.

We follow the journey of the child, rather than treating social challenges as disconnected interventions. Our approach addresses immediate needs while creating long-term opportunities for sustainable change.

NOURISHBuild the foundation

Food security · Child nutrition · Food gardens · Sustainable agriculture · Dignity & wellbeing

DEVELOPBuild capability

Education · Digital access · Future skills · Entrepreneurship · Career development

ENABLEOpen opportunity

Mentorship · Leadership · Talent development · Sport · Networks & exposure

Our impact model
  1. ACCESSRemove barriers
  2. DEVELOPBuild capability
  3. EXPOSEExpand horizons
  4. ENABLEOpen opportunity

Identify and reduce the practical barriers that prevent participation: school essentials, food, devices, learning resources or the means to attend.

Build knowledge, skills and confidence through learning, practice and sustained support.

Introduce young people to careers, institutions, industries, mentors and experiences beyond their existing networks.

Connect preparation with a next step: further learning, a competition, an application, work exposure or a development partnership.

Our work can begin with a meal and continue all the way to a qualification, mentor, career or life-changing opportunity.

Our programmes

Skills today. Opportunities tomorrow.

Through targeted programmes, mentorship and partnerships, we equip children and young people with the skills, confidence and opportunities to build brighter futures.

Our programmes

Seven programmes. One connected journey.

Our work can begin with a meal and continue all the way to a qualification, a mentor, a career or a life-changing opportunity.

A smiling child eating a meal from a bowl at schoolNOURISH

Nutrition & Food Security

Providing nutritious meals and supporting food gardens in schools and communities.

Explore
A learner with braids resting her chin on her hand, deep in thoughtDEVELOP

Education & School Support

Improving access to quality education, school essentials and learning resources.

Explore
Two learners in school uniform smiling and looking upwardDEVELOP

Digital & Future Skills

Equipping young people with digital skills for a changing world.

Explore
A graduate in cap and gown holding up a scroll as mortarboards flyDEVELOP

Entrepreneurship & Career Development

Helping young people understand their options and prepare for informed decisions.

Explore
Learners in school uniform smiling in an assemblyENABLE

Mentorship & Leadership

Connecting young people with mentors and role models from business, sport and academia.

Explore
A young golfer in a cap holding a golf club across her shouldersENABLE

Sport, Arts & Talent Development

Creating pathways through sport, arts and talent development.

Explore
Three learners in school uniform looking up outside a schoolSUPPORT

Community Development

Supporting sustainable solutions that strengthen families and communities.

Explore
A smiling child eating a meal from a bowl at school
Flagship 2027 ambition

10,000 children. Every day.

Nourishing potential from the beginning.

From January 2027, our ambition is to work towards helping provide nutritious food every day to 10,000 children in rural South Africa. For some children, hunger is one of the first barriers between potential and learning.

Our vision goes beyond filling a plate: better nutritional quality, and sustainable food systems around the schools and communities we serve.

Better nutrition

Supports healthy development

Improved learning

Helps children participate and learn

Stronger communities

Local food gardens and skills

Partner on NOURISH
Our impact

Real change. Brighter futures.

We report what has been delivered separately from what we are working towards. This is our recorded work so far.

Recorded116

Pairs of school shoes

Distributed to learners in need, in partnership with TT Group.

Read the storyRecorded1

Learner and athlete

Ongoing support for Tieho Matona’s education and golf development.

Read the storyRecorded1

Shelter partnership

Through ScheduPay and Seconds Out, support for the Frida Hartley Shelter.

Read the story
Goals for 2027
Goal10,000Children, every day

Nutritious food daily for children in rural South Africa, from January 2027.

Goal500+Learners

Supported through scholarships and mentorship.

Goal300+Young people

Equipped with certified IT and 4IR skills.

Goal20+School gardens

School-based community food gardens established.

Goals describe direction of travel and depend on partnerships and funding. They are separate from recorded work.

A young golfer following through on a swing
Featured story

When talent meets opportunity.

Tieho Matona found golf at a Welkom driving range, collecting stray balls while he dreamed of playing competitively. The Foundation supports him as a promising learner and athlete, keeping his education and his sport moving together.

  • Two consecutive wins in the Machabeng Junior Golf Development Champion League
  • 2nd place on the Order of Merit
  • Selected for the Free State team
Read Tieho’s story
Partnerships for greater impact

Social impact works better together.

No organisation can solve South Africa’s social challenges alone. We connect each partner’s resources and expertise to an identifiable development need, with agreed scope, milestones and reporting.

Discuss a CSI partnership

Corporates

Funding, products, skills and employee time

Schools & communities

Local knowledge and delivery

Nonprofits

Specialist expertise

Government

Policy and scale

Donors & supporters

Funding and introductions

Join us

Invest in potential. Change tomorrow.

Together, we can remove barriers, create opportunities and equip children and young people with the support they need to learn, grow and thrive.

Partner

Work with us to scale impact through nutrition, education, skills and community programmes.

Partner

Fund

Invest in sustainable solutions that create long-term opportunities for children and young people.

Fund

Volunteer

Share your time, skills and expertise to help shape brighter futures.

Volunteer

Mentor

Guide and inspire the next generation through real-world experience.

Mentor

Support

Help provide nutritious meals, learning resources and essential support.

Support
Stories & insights

From the field

All stories and insights

A learner in school uniform at a desk in a classroom, looking up thoughtfullyImpact story

116 pairs of school shoes with TT Group

A practical response to a barrier that is easy to overlook.

See the impact
Close-up of a young boy looking upwardInsight

The opportunity gap: why talent alone is not enough

4.7 million young South Africans are unemployed. The gap is access, not ability.

Read the insight
Three learners in school uniform looking up outside a schoolImpact story

Standing against gender-based violence

ScheduPay, Seconds Out and the Frida Hartley Shelter.

See the impact
Registered South African nonprofit

Built for responsible impact

Organisation
Lerato Bodibe Foundation NPC
NPO number
317-340
NPC registration
2024/282817/08
Governance
Join us

Potential is everywhere. Opportunity isn’t.

Help us create the next opportunity. Together, we can remove barriers, open doors and empower South Africa’s next generation to learn, grow and thrive.

Make a donationGet involved
Three learners in school uniform looking up outside a school