Boikanyo means to have Faith. The NGO was named after 2 inspirational souls: Boikanyo, a dynamic special 8 year old child, and Dion Herson a philanthropist who loved giving to others.

Boikanyo the Dion Herson Foundation is a non profit organization working with children and their caregivers in impoverished communities in Gauteng, as well as children living in deep rural communities scattered all over different provinces in South Africa.

OUR VISION:
Nurturing vulnerable and at-risk youth, whether they are able-bodied or differently-abled. We view children holistically, we believe a child has a greater chance if issues are tackled from more than one angle.

OUR MISSION:
We alleviate poverty through networking and partnering with experts in the field. We work with marginalised communities:

• A community of shack dwellers in Protea South Soweto. Since the breakout of COVID19, the needs of the community have shifted. Besides starvation, the level of emotional deprivation and trauma that this community has struggled with is greater than ever before. Violence has escalated, frustration and anger has replaced the hopelessness. We have had to modify out approach to try to counter this.
• Maths enrichment program. We ran a highly successful maths program for grade 4 and 5 learners from  2020, and into 2021. Our focus focusing was on setting a solid mathematics foundation. The intention was to develoop a love for maths. We achieved resounding success with this program.
• We have taken refurbished specialised wheelchairs (buggies) into deep rural areas for children born with severe cerebral palsy. Many children who receive one of our buggies have been on the waiting list foryears at a state hospital or clinic. Some die wating.

Boikanyo the Dion Herson Foundation’s  first project in 2014 focused on food security and upskilling caregivers in the community. We planted a 1000m sq vegetable garden at Sediba Thuto High Primary School in Soweto in 2012.  This vegetable garden project afforded us opportunities to gain insight into the multi-factorial challenges facing young people growing up in dire poverty. The children (and caregivers)  whom we assist generally live in child/grandmother and sick mother headed households. Poverty, starvation, crime, abuse, sugar daddies, poor health care, sub optimal schooling and drugs are but some of the many problems they face.

One undeniable fact remains; without education the children of the area have a bleak future. Most will not even be able to calculate the correct change they should be getting when they shop at the local spaza shop (informal tuck shop), without maths skills.

OUR IMPACT:

• Almost R8m ($522 725,20) worth of programs, donations and campaigns for the children and their caregivers in Soweto and many deep rural areas in South Africa.
• We have instilled a love for maths in hundreds of children who have been part of our maths/life skills initiatives (Noah Project) at 2 high schools and one primary school in the area. The participating learners gained a sense of great self worth and accomplishment.
• We have touched the lives of over 114 000 children over the years, and have been a voice of advocacy, calling for children and their caregivers to be treated according to the constitution of the country – with dignity and respect.