In 1989, Danie van den Heever's life took an interesting turn when he attended Harvard Business School in the US and completed the 'Owner Presidents' Management Programme'. It was here that he was introduced to and inspired by the teachings of Dr James Dobson and Focus on the Family, an international ministry aiming to help families thrive.

By 1991, with a new calling and a desire to invest more time with his family, Danie sold DanBrake to T&N Holdings Ltd to pursue his interest in Focus on the Family.
It was a huge career shift for Danie, taking him from corporate businessman to steering a non-profit organisation.

Building on their strong belief in the significance of a nurturing loving family, Danie and his wife Judy established Focus on iThemba in 2003. iThemba is the isiZulu word for 'hope'.

Their vision was, and continues to be, to create a unique foster care initiative where the level of care and opportunity is substantial and a significant impact is made. iThemba opened its first cluster foster care home in 2003.

Under Danie's leadership, Focus on the Family Africa has grown to be a respected ministry throughout the continent of Africa. In 2009, Danie resigned from the Focus on the Family board to dedicate more time to iThemba.

PLACE OF HOPE

Everyone needs hope in this world. It is a powerful and transformative force. And in countries like Africa where so many people where the majority of people are living on the breadline, with little or no education, and dealing with HIV or Aids, hope is one of the greatest gifts they can have.

Focus on iThemba, the place of hope, provides quality foster care homes for vulnerable children, as well as a school of excellence for the children living at iThemba and the greater community. Located near Hillcrest in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, iThemba is an accredited non-profit, public benefit organisation (18a) that focuses on restoring hope in people's lives.

iThemba relies on the generous support of donors, volunteers and key individuals across the globe. If you would like to find out more, and carry the message of hope further, please click here. You will have the option of supporting a child, sustaining a home or educating a child.