About Us
Our vision is to assist children in need and working to improve their circumstances in any way possible Get InvolvedHow we started
Butterfly Change for Children is a community organisation that aims to improve the lives of children living in the Hammanskraal area, North of Pretoria. Going into the community and visiting the different crèches was the best way to meet and build relationships with the owners and staff. Through these relationships we could start identifying general and specific needs and find ways to meet them. What started out as the vision of one woman with a passion to change the circumstances and create opportunity for suffering children, Butterfly has grown into a dynamic organisation that is impacting the lives of children and their care takers in inspiring and practical ways.
Love
Compelled by the love of God we want to bring light where there is darkness, joy where there is sorrow and hope where there is despair.
Act
Love without action brings no change. Therefore we identify the needs of children in the community and find practical solutions to bring positive change.
Inspire
We believe when you care and bring hope to people in the community, they will be inspired to stand up, use what they have and change their world.
Klipdrif Farm
Butterfly is based on the farm, Klipdrif situated just outside Hammanskraal. The total area of the farm is 194ha and forms part of the Dinokeng Big Five Game Reserve. It is within easy reach of the community we serve. The facility, previously used by The Reformed Church of Africa to train ministers, is also perfectly suited for Butterfly’s plans and purpose. Though we are still in the process of restoration and renovation to develop the buildings and farm to its full potential, we are already running different programs on the premises. Most of our training is done on the premises and we have a beautiful Baby House taking care of orphaned and abandoned babies. Accommodation is available to host up to 20 volunteers, sharing a communal kitchen and bathroom. We also have some staff housing, all in a two hectare fenced area.
Leadership
Lize Oosthuizen
Founder
Lize is the project leader of Butterfly CFC.
She studied teaching (HOD Pre- and Junior Primary Phase) and worked as a pre-school teacher for 9 years.
In 2001 she completed her training as a Playball Sport Coach for children 2 - 10 years.
But moved by the circumstances of children staying in shelters, living on the streets or impoverished areas of the city, in 2002 she gave up her job and started to work as a volunteer providing Day Care to children, living in the inner city of Pretoria. Over a period of 8 years, from nothing, she created and built up a beautiful pre-school, which until this day provides day care for 80 disadvantaged children.
In 2010 Butterfly Change for Children NPC was established to enable her to have greater impact and work in a wider field by addressing the basic needs of pre-school children as well as the people teaching and taking care of them. Her creativity, dedication and ability to make something from nothing as well as support from other skilled and enthusiastic people, resulted in making what seems to be impossible, possible. Since June 2011 Butterfly started their work in the Hammankraal community and it is still having daily impact on the lives of thousands of children and their care takers.
Peet Oosthuizen
Project Manager
Peet is qualified as a teacher and has many years of experience in landscaping and construction.
He joined Butterfly CFC with his family in November 2014.
Peet is now responsible for all the facility development projects at the day care centres and also responsible for the maintenance and development on the Klipdrift base. He was a founder member of Busetsa Wood, a woodwork training project for young men from the community. Peet does the training at Busetsa and manages the workshop.