Raising children can be one of life's most rewarding experiences but it is hard to do alone. Kids need a community of people around them, to positively shape and guide them on life's journey as they grow and learn. By having the support of others we share this important work and give our children the benefit of diverse skills, expertise, and experiences.
At the heart of our village are the children of One Heart. They are our daily motivation for why we do what we do. Every decision we make is to benefit them.They are resilient and powerful human beings with a future and a hope, and we are here to champion them and empower them to fulfil their potential. We are so proud of each and every one of them.
Our board is united by a shared passion for empowering people; for creating sustainable change that will improve the lives individuals now, and communities for generations. Our Australian board provides oversight and governance across all activities and organisations. Local leadership ensures we create solutions that are contextually relevant drawing on their deep understanding of local ecosystems, culture and environment.
Alex
Treasurer
Alf
Director and Board Member
Cain
Director and Finance Manager
Celestine
Chuma
Team Member
Consoler & Eliya
Director and House Mama
Dean
Founder and CEO
Deb
Operations and Policy Coordinator
Elisha
Treasurer
Hannah
General Manager
Jacky & Chris
Josh
Chair to the Board and School Director
Neville
Director
Protus
Secretary
Rither
General Manager
Sadat
Management Support
Simon
Director
Suzanne
Director
Thomas
Director
Tony
Director
Victoria
Director
Violet
In each country our efforts are backed by an incredible administrative and support staff and a network of volunteers. These are often hidden roles, but we wouldn’t be here without these contributions. Finance, enrolments, sponsorship management, events management and cleaners - We are thankful for you all!
Our kids live in small family units, led by a house parent or parents. Warm, kind, and patient, our amazing house parents provide the daily care and stability our kids need to feel loved and to feel like they belong. This sense of safety is one of the first and most fundamental needs of being a human. When this need is met we are then able to learn, grow and dream.
When we reminisce on our schooling years and education, we rarely remember the methodology or techniques by which we were taught, rather we remember the teachers who inspired us. We are so thankful for the teachers of One Heart Academy. We honour and celebrate the contributions each one of them makes in shaping the futures of our One Heart kids.
Each of our properties is lovingly cared for by a group of caretakers, farm managers, farm workers, and maintenance staff. Our facilities and farms play such an important role in our holistic model, and as such we take great care of them. Martin Luther King Jr. once said that “No work is insignificant. All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence”. We could not agree more!
Our social workers create the connections and links that help each child to find their place, and their own individual life path. They work with local rescue centres and government groups to identify the children who will come in to the care of One Heart and participate in our programs. They work with an extended network of health providers and run our reintegration program to find and connect children with blood relatives and community.
