About Starfish

Why we are needed

Starfish Greathearts Foundation is an international development charity that brings life, hope and opportunity to children who have been orphaned or made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS.

'Starfish you make me feel better, you make me cry lesser, you make me dream bigger.' Thomas Chauke, Ikageng Itireleng

We are founded on the belief in the power of individuals to make a difference, and we continue to be inspired on a daily basis by the incredible resilience of the children we support.


In the last 11 years, thousands of people like you across the globe have embraced the Starfish vision. Their support and commitment has improved the lives of thousands upon thousands of vulnerable children.

Why our model works
It is now 31 years since the virus was first discovered, and 11 years since Starfish joined the fight to turn the tide on AIDS. Since being identified, AIDS has killed more than 30 million people around the world and today, a further 34 million are living with HIV. It has left a generation of children to grow up without mothers, fathers, or teachers.

Whilst great strides have been made in terms of prevention and treatment, with more than 5 million people in sub-Saharan African now accessing treatment, the number of children orphaned by AIDS in the communities we serve continues to rise; over 2 million across South Africa alone, of whom over 500,000 are themselves infected. These colossal numbers can be difficult to take in, but in the face of such overwhelming statistics, our work is more vital than ever before. That's why at Starfish we work from the ground up, facilitating local partners to make a difference in their own community and deliver quality holistic care.

We know our model works because we follow the progress, one child at a time. Our work ranges from crisis intervention like food parcels and help obtaining identity documents, to access to education and training, mentorship, and support for income generation activities with the aim of lifting whole communities out of the vicious cycle of poverty and HIV.

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