South African Community Development

The My Arms Wide Open™ Foundation was established to provide support and collaboration with mothers, children, and youth in South Africa to re-establish and repair the family unit. It fosters self-reliance and preserves culture, enabling communities and businesses to manage available resources and build sustainably and responsibly. We focus on working with the members of the community to teach skills such as coping, mentoring, personal understanding and leadership. We educate in areas such as Resource Management, ECD, HIV/AIDS and family support, and gender equality. This empowers participants as they learn about micro-business, agriculture, capacity building and many other productive activities.

Our programs respond to indigenous needs through enterprises that meet and benefit the community as a whole. The My Arms Wide Open™Foundation’s overall objective is to help strengthen and support communities and help them be vibrant, green and sustainable. We recognize the principles around human development includes nurturing and protecting the environment, culture and the bio sphere.

These programs include education in coping skills, mentoring and leadership. In the process, youth learn to break the chain and cycle of their parents’ past prejudice, empowering and supporting their future development.