A SPRING OF HOPE INC
Just add water
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Ten years ago, A Spring of Hope (ASoH) was created to help provide clean waterto schools in rural South Africa. ASoH is currently working with 42 schools in the greater Acornhoek area of rural South Africa, and has expanded its activities to include assistance in sustainable agriculture, water management, sanitation, and job development. Over the past ten years we have witnessed what happens when clean water, the most basic of human needs, becomes available—children have clean water to drink which improves their health, gardens thrive and fresh food is grown, schools have water to use for preparing lunches for the learners and washing dishes, and many orphans receive food to take home for an evening meal. At this time, more than 14,200 students in one of the poorest parts of South Africa are eating at least one nutritious meal every day. With better nutrition, hope grows, and depressed, barren schools become alive and inspired to offer a quality education to their learners.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Wells (Boreholes)
Drill wells for qualified schools. Provide pumps, tanks, piping to bring water to a centralized location. Provide training on proper usage of pumps. Periodic inspection and maintenance of wells to keep in good working order. Goal for 2012 is to drlll 20 additional wells and support the existing 19.
Permaculture
The necessity for people to grow their own food has never been more critical, and permaculture can help. Permaculture is designed to maximize people’s ability to adapt to changing weather. Permaculture is really about
relationships—sun and soil—water and air—plants and animals—others and ourselves, and our relationship as humans to the world around us. Ultimately, we believe that by teaching permaculture at the ASoH Centre,
we will build personal responsibility, and we will give vulnerable people, people already living on the edge and greatly impacted by climate change, a greater capacity to adapt and thrive.
Waterless Sanitation
ASOH’s track record has demonstrated that the provision of clean water and sanitation facilities at schools directly correlates with overall improvements in children’s health, school attendance, graduation rates, and community involvement.
Pit toilets leave students and staff vulnerable to disease and environmental hazards. The installation of Enviro Loos and hand washing stations will drastically improve the conditions of the school and the health of their students. Enviro Loos are waterless toilets which break down waste naturally and safely.
Junior Achievement Partnership
YOUTH ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME
The skills needed to take an idea and turn it into a thriving reality are not as complex or mysterious as people believe. Learn them with us and take your first steps towards personal greatness.
Our Youth Enterprise Development Programme is a richly layered educational experience that takes passionate achievers from the ages of 18 to 35 and teaches them how to establish a sustainable business.
In the first six months of this year-long incubator style programme, participants start up and learn to run sustainable businesses, where they are guided to implement the theory as they learn through the provision of facilitation and support. The students are introduced to an array of entrepreneurial concepts that inspires them and builds their business confidence. The training includes site visits, case studies and guest speakers.
In the latter six months, after the course work is complete, participants receive ongoing support and mentorship and they are also introduced to micro-finance institutions as options for funding their businesses going forward. Graduates receive a JA South Africa and an NQF level 4 Services Seta accredited certificate.
Where we work
External reviews
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of people receiving safe drinking water from community systems
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Wells (Boreholes)
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of clients whose nutrition has improved
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Permaculture
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Increasing
Area of land, in hectares, indirectly controlled by the organization and under sustainable cultivation or sustainable stewardship
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults
Related Program
Permaculture
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Area of land, in hectares, directly controlled by the organization and under sustainable cultivation or sustainable stewardship
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Permaculture
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Area of land, in hectares, directly controlled by the organization
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Permaculture
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
These 8 hectares are where the ASoH Permaculture/Community Center is being built. The center includes approximately 7 hectares of organic, permacultre gardens.
Area of land, in hectares, indirectly controlled by the organization
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
This includes our partner schools and community gardens along with home gardens.
Total pounds of target crop harvested
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults
Related Program
Permaculture
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of clients served
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of people trained
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults
Related Program
Permaculture
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of individuals applying skills learned through the organization's training
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults
Related Program
Permaculture
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of trees planted
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of facilities improved
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Wells (Boreholes)
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
58 boreholes, 45 partner schools with permaculture gardens, 7 community gardens, 4 community centers, and 24 waterless sanitation facilities•
• Number of individuals receiving waterless sanitation facilities
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Waterless Sanitation
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Replacement to pit toilets
Number of training events conducted
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Permaculture
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
4 Annual permaculture classes offered
Number of individuals attending community events or trainings
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Permaculture
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of home permaculture gardens have you implemented
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Permaculture
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of health/hygiene product and/or tools of care (mosquito nets, soap, etc.) administered
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
# of Menstrual hygiene cups distributed
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Increasingly, ASoH is getting requests from community members for permaculture workshops, for access to organic
produce, and for economic opportunities for a sustainable livelihood. When ASoH introduced permaculture gardening education into the schools, we saw a huge shift in the way people think and view the world—gardens designed using permaculture principles are flourishing!
We see very clearly that our next step in supporting the people living in this area is to establish an “A Spring of Hope Permaculture Centre” that will broaden the impact of our work at the community level. The Centre will enhance our capacity to Inspire, inform and equip community leaders to go back to their villages and begin to change the landscape, one home at a time.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
We are seeking support from individual donors, corporate partners, and government sources to fund the construction and initial operation costs of the Centre. ASoH has a very strong track record with funders, often getting recurring donations from foundations and sponsors. We have partnered with Rand Water Foundation, Junior Achievement South Africa, Rotary Clubs in the US and internationally coupled with our fundraising in the US to help us garner the needed funding for this project.
A Spring of Hope SA is a Section 21 social enterprise registered with the Department of Welfare and the Public Benefits Department. ASoH/SA is also registered as a Section 18A and has exemption from taxes and duties as approved in terms of Section 18A. South African donors qualify for a tax reduction limited to a specific formula for any contributions made. We are also a Level 1 BB-BEE enterprise, qualifying corporate donors for the highest level of credit toward their community service requirement.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
A Spring of Hope has the following corporate/foundation partners who contribute to the work of the organization through various means
Over the past 10 years A Spring of Hope has raised over $1,419,000 that has benefitted 14,235 learners. The fundraising began with U.S. students supporting South African students, raising sufficient monies to provide assistance to one school. Once ASoH became a 501(c)(3) it began to reach out to other organizations and individuals to increase its financial support in order to provide assistance to additional schools.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Our Impact
According to UNICEF, 50% of South Africans experience hunger. Since its inception in 2007, ASoH has employed a multi- tiered approach to addressing hunger, starting with providing access to clean water. We brought clean water to 32 primaryand secondary schools, eight preschools (crèches), and five community projects, improving the lives of 14,235 children. With water comes the possibility for creating sustainable gardens that add nutritious food and improve the health of the children. We are providing education and support to every ASoH school to establish permaculture gardens. We are now deepening our work with the schools by addressing sanitation and hygiene concerns. Inadequate sanitation and poor hygiene together with unsafe drinking water are major causes of child deaths in South Africa. Children are particularly vulnerable in the provinces where ASoH works, as water and sanitation facilities are below the national average.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback, Staff find it hard to prioritize feedback collection and review due to lack of time, It is difficult to get honest feedback from the people we serve
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
A SPRING OF HOPE INC
Board of directorsas of 06/15/2022
Joanne Young
No Affiliation
Term: 2007 -
Gail Auguston-Koppen
No Affiliation
Term: 2007 -
Gail Auguston-Koppen
Charmaine Johnson-Leong
Premier Smile
Hamilton Mnisi
Brittany Young
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? No -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? No
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
We do not display disability information for organizations with fewer than 15 staff.
Equity strategies
Last updated: 11/11/2020GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
- We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
- We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
- We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We disaggregate data by demographics, including race, in every policy and program measured.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.