What We Do v2 - Little Lions Child Coaching

Resilience Starts Here.

The Challenge: Child Mental Health Crisis in South Africa

A mental health gap, a generation at risk.

In South Africa, millions of people lack access to mental health care, with more than 60% being children. Only 451 psychologists serve the entire public sector, leaving most communities without vital mental health support.

Little Lions Child Coaching exists to bridge this gap by making mental health workshops and resilience training accessible where it is needed the most.

Why?

“Because there is a lack of easily accessible mental health resources, we work in under-resourced communities in South Africa and Kenya to help 8- 13-year-old children to improve their social and emotional development by hosting free, daily workshops, to improve the psychosocial wellbeing of 10.000 children by 2028.”

About Us

Little Lions Child Coaching was founded in 2018, when child psychologist Stijn de Leeuw moved from Amsterdam to Cape Town to pursue a PhD in childhood resilience. What began as a single research journey has grown into a movement linking Europe and Africa.

Our approach is built on evidence, rooted in community, and guided by Boards of Trustees in both South Africa and the Netherlands.

Our Vision:

To normalise conversations about mental health and empower the next generation with emotional resilience so they can shape a brighter future.

Our Work in Child Coaching & Resilience

We strengthen resilience through a three-part child coaching approach:

Children

Free daily workshops for 8–13-year-olds in their own communities.

Youth

Training local role models (18-35-year-olds) to become mental health coaches and advocates.

Partners

Equipping schools, NGOs, and organisations to integrate our mental health toolkit into their programmes.

Our evidence-based flagship Inner Lion Programme delivers prevention-focused, community-based child coaching. It helps children build confidence, cope with challenges, and grow resilience that lasts.

At Little Lions, I learned that whenever something bothers you, you must find a person to talk to. We spent less time on the streets and more time learning and playing together

Zuzingce N.

Little Lion from Mfuleni

Community-based programmes like Little Lions provide a scalable, value-for-money support system to address mental health needs in under-resourced communities.

Dr Robert Macdonald

Head of Department, Western Cape Social Development

Our Pride: Team & Leadership

Programme Team

South Africa Board Members

Netherlands Board Members

Our Goals By 2030:

With your support, Little Lions Child Coaching aims to scale our reach to 100,000 children and 500 role models across 100 partner organisations in Africa. This growth will make child coaching and resilience training part of everyday life in disadvantaged communities.

Accountability & Transparency

Little Lions Child Coaching is governed by the Boards of Trustees in South Africa and the Netherlands. We are committed to accountability, measurable impact, and responsible use of funds.

Our 2023 Annual Report shows how donations are used to create lasting change. We also publish financial updates and programme outcomes to keep our Pride of supporters fully informed.

Get Involved with Little Lions Child Coaching

There are many ways to support our mission:

Corporate Giving – Partner with us to expand resilience programmes into schools and communities.

Sponsor A Workshop – Every contribution directly supports coaching and workshops.

Start a Fundraiser – Rally your community to support our work