The i4118 Foundation has changed lives in the past 10 years
Today, he is one of five founders of the i4118 Foundation, a Christian organisation based on love, care, acceptance, friendship and family values.
The foundation is a registered NPC and public benefit organisation (PBO) authorised to issue tax certificates/receipts for donations received, which is still going strong.
According to him, vulnerable children and teens, whether caused by absent parents, abandonment, neglect or abuse, is a much bigger problem in society than what is realised.
Who they are and what they do
i4118 entails a weekly mentorship programme with group activities and camps for children and teenagers (in the programme) to turn them into world-changers.
“We believe through long-term relationship and character-building mentorship, we can nurture a future generation that will be committed to positive family and community values.”
For i4118, turning these children into world-changers means providing them with attention, recognition, love, care, equality, friendship and a sense of family. They believe these are simple tools that can change a vulnerable child into one who can chase a more prosperous future and change the world for the better.
In each group, with a maximum of five children, there is a qualified, vetted, voluntary adult mentor ensuring close-knit groups and that each child gets enough attention and care. This is believed to be a big contributor to i4118’s success.
i4118 Foundation seeks to bring new life and hope for vulnerable children and teens in line with the promises of Isaiah 41:18.
“We build strong relationships that allow us to speak into the lives of the boys and girls as we get to hear and see more and more of the challenges they face. While we cannot change the circumstances or environment our boys and girls live in, we can help them to learn how to make better decisions to cope with their circumstances and break the behavioural cycles that bind them to those circumstances,” he explained.
Looking for partners
A key factor for i4118 being able to promote change in the community and country is partnerships with local businesses and other impact organisations.
“Through these partnerships, we can mobilise more resources, build a sustainable organisation through strong relationships and improve the way we operate as we learn from and share knowledge,” said Gavin.
Donations needed
Each child gets plenty of attention and support.“When we can, we help with school supplies, projects and general stationery.”
Being able to expose the children and teens to activities they do not normally get to do or see is also part of building them up and all of this takes money to do.
“We are looking for 250 people who have a passion to see the next generation go beyond where we are today, to partner with us by contributing R25 a month for 12 months,” he added.
For more information about the foundation, send an email to info@i4118.org or call 011 026 1711.
