Transforming the lives of children and families.

We partner with South African community-based organizations driving high-impact education, health and nutrition, and youth development solutions.

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Three Pathways

We are committed to the following

Connecting
Changemakers

By connecting changemakers in the US with local changemakers in South Africa, we support the success of the children they serve.

Sparking
Solutions

Even Ground invests in hyperlocal, community-driven solutions on the ground.

Changing
Lives

Even Ground changes lives by investing in organizations that ensure children have adequate support from infancy to young adulthood.

Our Impact

Changing Lives

Investing in children as they grow and the families that support them.

7,066

Children supported in 2024

200,000+

Nutritious meals per year

Partner organisations

20+

Years of patient partnership

What We Address

Where We Make a Difference

The Issue

By age five, 90% of a child's brain is already developed. Only 40% of children in South Africa have access to early childhood development programs. The country ranks 139 out of 143 globally in quality of education.

Vision for Change

Even Ground supports projects ensuring high-quality ECD programs are within reach for all children and families in South Africa.

Success

Supporting 2,043 children through preschool programs. At Thanda, children borrowed 12,414 books through their mobile library.

The Issue

27% of children in South Africa are malnourished or food insecure. More than half a million children with disabilities have been shut out of the education system.

Vision for Change

Children grow up with sufficient health and nutrition. Children with disabilities receive therapy, services, and support to enable their holistic development.

Success

Partners provide 200,000+ nutritious meals yearly. Siyakwazi provided therapy to 130 children with disabilities and their families.

The Issue

South Africa's youth unemployment rate is 62%, one of the highest in the world. Many young people lack mentorship and skills development opportunities.

Vision for Change

Young people develop the agency and capacity they need to make healthy decisions and thrive, and are offered opportunities that enable positive pathways.

Success

BRAVE has provided leadership training and skills development to more than 500 girls and young women over the past 13 years.

A child reading a picture book at a Thanda early learning centre

Our Story

Two Decades of Partnership

Even Ground was founded in 2003 by a passionate group of students from the US and South Africa who recognized the transformative potential within South African communities. Initially founded to help address the educational, health, and social needs of children and families affected by HIV, the organization has expanded significantly over the last two decades to focus on education, health and nutrition, and youth development. The board members and project partners have grown and flourished, fostering valuable connections that continue to uphold the organization's initial vision and mission.

Beginning in 2024, Even Ground is intensifying its commitment to providing increasing funding and capacity-building support to select community-based nonprofit organizations in South Africa and beyond. With unwavering dedication from the founding members and the infusion of energy from new members, our collective commitment to connecting changemakers across oceans is the driving force propelling the organization to greater horizons today.

Read Our Impact Stories