MY JOURNEY / ORIGIN STORY
Darleen, founder and director, has seen and experienced many challenges with her child’s learning challenges, dyslexia and ADD/ADHD.
She decided to assist children and adults in bringing freedom and hope to the learning process and Life Skills Development.
Sparked by this passion, she qualified as a Learning Success Coach and Learning Styles Specialist.
She founded Retrain, our South African company and has since dealt with many challenges alongside her students suffering from these learning challenges.
KUTITIVA FOUNDATION
Darleen recognised the vast need in underprivileged communities’ social and educational landscape.
She founded this foundation from a desire to change these communities where funding and access are significant challenges.
Our team is passionate about our quest to help children (and adults) know themselves and make better life choices with their natural resources and life skills.
A Strong Goal
OUR AIM
Alongside our students, we seek to assist our unsung heroes – our teachers – who are overwhelmed with large classes. We’re equipping them with simple yet profound classroom management skills, so they have the tools to manage this daily challenge.
We are working on the very basics of the education system, helping both the learners and educators get a sense of who they are. Knowing themselves helps them navigate the classroom environment, subsequent studies, and life choices with direction and a sense of purpose.
GOALS
Our main goal is to partner with the Department of Basic Education to streamline our program into the core curriculum and learning environment.
We need funding from the Private, Business and Corporate Sectors to continue this work into the core of our educational system. All funding helps, whether it’s for one child or many children. We also welcome funding for teachers and school projects.
YOUR SUPPORT
You can help to change young lives for the future by giving
- resources,
- money
- or even your time as a volunteer.
Your company can obtain a Section 18A Tax certificate or increase your BEE Score through your donations.
Directors and Team
DARLEEN VAN TONDER
Founder and Chairperson
Darleen is passionate about working in underprivileged communities, mainly focusing on children. Over the last 30 years, she has worked across cultural and socio-economic landscapes, leading with her passion for individuals to discover their strengths and realize their potential. Her Motto is: “Learning can be fun!”
She brings creativity, enthusiasm and delights in helping others. She has experience in personal assessment coaching, individual and group training, and team building. She has occupied mentoring roles, teaching and working with pre-school to Grade 12 students.
She has pioneered and established two non-profit organizations and can offer insight into a large cross-section of clients in both the private and government education sectors.
Her experience as a team leader and project manager in community development, counselling, non-profit development and fundraising lifts the whole team to a new level.
Qualifications
- Certified Learning Success coach and trainer
- Learning Styles specialist
- Life Skills program developer
- Registered facilitator – ETDP Seta (Education, Training and Development)
- Registered Assessor – ETDP Seta
- Moderator – ETDP Seta
- Art teacher
- Life Coach and counselling
JOANNA BUKASA
Director
Joanna loves children of all ages and started teaching Sunday school at Urban Life Church when she was only 15. This was just the beginning of her involvement with community projects like volunteering in soup kitchens, orphanages and community training programs for the youth.
She is involved with Kutitiva Foundation, where she
- Facilitates admin projects,
- Writes children’s life skills material, and
- Facilitates children life skills material, and
Joanna brings a different perspective and fresh ideas to the table as the youngest director. She contributes her love for children and people’s development.
Qualifications
- Completed BSc – Medicine at Macquarie University, Sydney.
- Voluntary Life Skills teaching for five years to primary school children in Midrand and Centurion, Gauteng, South Africa
- Hands-on work with students on Kutitiva Projects in Soshanguve, GaRankuwa, and Winterveldt (Pretoria West).
MANTSHA PHEEHA
Director
Mantsha is a certified coach, trainer and speaker. She is an author of 7 books, including:
- Level Up: Creating Extraordinary Careers, and
- Money 101: Making, Keeping and Growing Money.
Mantsha brings experience from diverse industries, including government, mining, development finance, engineering and management consulting. Her most recent position was in government as Chief Director for Infrastructure Management and Public Private Partnerships.
She founded Talent Unleashed, a consulting and coaching practice focussing on strategy, leadership, entrepreneurship and career management. She is passionate about helping people excel in every area of their lives, especially their careers and calling.
Talent Unleashed serves organisations in corporate and government and has also delivered to multinationals across the globe.
Qualifications
- Completed a BSc degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of the Witwatersrand.
REGOMODITSWE ISIS KHOELE
Director
Regomoditswe Isis Khoele, Rego, is a Commercial Pilot at Fireblade Aviation, a Private Charter Company based in OR Tambo International Airport.
She’s a Co-Pilot, flying the Single Engine Turbo-Prop Pilatus PC12NG and the Twin Engine Turbo-Prop Beechcraft King Air 200 aircraft within South Africa and neighbouring African countries. She’s been in the aviation industry for ten years, logging over 2000 hours of flight time since 2014.
Her Instagram page (@proxima_aurora) shows her passion for aviation. She has a following of upcoming pilots requesting industry advice from her.
Her YouTube Channel, The Aviator_Pilot Rego, guides beginners on how to begin a career in aviation. Between. She volunteered as a mentor at the Southern African Woman in Aviation (SAWIA) NGO from 2013 to 2016. There, she mentored young females (grades 10-12) about STEM careers. She volunteers at Flying for Life NGO, assisting in dropping off supplies in rural areas.
She runs RDK CREATORS with her husband, where they create digital content for several brands on their social media platforms (@regodise): YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and Twitter.
She is adventurous and loves sporty and fun activities, which take her out of her comfort zone. She’s a passionate, God-fearing woman, a self-driven individual wanting to impact people positively.
Qualifications
-
She obtained her Frozen Airline Transport Pilot Licence at 43 Air School in 2014.
RENEILWE MASEKO
Assistant Project Manager
Reneilwe is the assistant project manager and has experience in customer services, sales, marketing (Chamber of Commerce) and Non Profit work. She has assisted in running projects with assessments and development of over 3500 students and teachers Grade R-11 in underprivileged communities and private schools.
Reneilwe brings her bubbly nature and commitment to the team. Her enthusiasm is to help children understand themselves and succeed in life. She is an asset to our team.
Qualifications
- Learning Styles coaching (Level 1)
- Short Term Insurance
- Certificate in Business Practice
” I now know my purpose in this world. I know my way forward. I’m on the right path, definitely.”
– Grade 9 student
Grade 9 Stories
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“I now know my purpose in this world. I know my way forward. I’m on the right path, definitely.”
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“I didn’t know that I was so imaginative. After the program, I actually found out how imaginative I was and after yesterday’s assessment I also found out how obsessed I am with animals.”
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“I was very confused with how I choose my subjects for Grade 10, but then since you came along and explained what you should do …. I finally know who I am and who I am about to become.
