HEARTLINES

What HEARTLINES does

Heartlines, formally the Centre for Values Promotion, is a South African non-profit social change organisation founded in 2001/2002 by Dr. Garth Japhet (co-founder of the health-edutainment platform Soul City). Headquartered in Johannesburg with a 1-10 person team, the organisation uses a social behaviour change communication methodology — colloquially edutainment — to address issues including fatherlessness, gender-based violence, mental health stigma, and financial literacy. Its primary deliverables are values-based films and companion community engagement programmes, including the flagship Fathers Matter initiative, the What's Your Story? personal storytelling programme, and the Values and Money financial literacy programme, supported by a free online resource centre, a WhatsApp-based Fathers Matter Coach, and a book authored by the CEO.

The core technology stack is content-led rather than software-led: an 18-film award-winning library (with 2007 Banff Rockie, New Orleans Human Rights Festival, and SAFTA recognition), broadcast on South African public television (SABC, M-Net) and internationally on Netflix and ARTE TV, and distributed free via YouTube, WhatsApp, community radio, church networks, and the heartlines.org.za website. Distribution is amplified through a broad coalition of faith, academic, and institutional partners, including the South African Council of Churches, the KwaZulu-Natal Church Council, the University of the Witwatersrand School of Governance, the DSI-NRF Centre of Human Excellence, UNICEF, and Foundations for Farming in Zimbabwe and Zambia. More than 3,500 interpersonal events have been hosted, with cumulative reach cited at 10+ million people.

Heartlines operates on a non-commercial funding model: the organisation does not sell its content or services, offers its resource library free of charge, and accepts donations. Operating revenue is grant and donation-based, drawn from foundations (notably the Oak Foundation, the Solidarity Fund, the National Research Foundation, and the DSI-NRF Centre of Human Excellence) and a small set of corporate and multilateral partners (WesBank/Brotherhood Foundation, UNICEF). Pricing is effectively freemium — free access to all resources and courses, with donations accepted via the website and recurring monthly giving as a billing option. There is no disclosed commercial revenue, no paid subscription product, and no public financial filings.

Name

HEARTLINES

Legal name

Heartlines

Website

https://heartlines.org.za

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Heartlines is a South African non-profit that produces award-winning values-based films and community programmes (Fathers Matter, What's Your Story?, Values and Money) to drive social behaviour change, funded by foundation grants, donations, and institutional partners, with a content reach cited at over 10 million people.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Impact Media and Values Education

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Individual and Family Services (6241)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

International & Local Implementing NGOs (HLAJAKAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Nonprofit & Cause Communications (BPAFADAK), Religious Education, Kids & Family Faith Programming (MPABALAM)

Keywords

• Values-based media campaigns
• Edutainment film production
• Social behaviour change communication
• Faith-based community programmes
• Fatherhood and family resources

Headquarters

HQ city

Crakehall

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Foundation Grants and Donations: Heartlines is a non-profit organization that operates primarily through foundation grants, donations, and funding partnerships with organizations like the Oak Foundation, Solidarity Fund, and government entities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

HEARTLINES (The Centre for Values Promotion) is a South African non-profit social change organization that produces award-winning films, digital content, printed resources, and community programmes to promote positive values. It uses storytelling and edutainment methodology to address social issues such as fatherlessness, gender-based violence, mental health, and financial literacy, distributing content through television, streaming, online platforms, and faith-based community networks.

Product overview

Heartlines, the Centre for Values Promotion, is a South African social change organisation that produces award-winning films and programmes using storytelling and edutainment to promote values-based living. The core offering consists of multiple interconnected film series (Heartlines Films, Fathers Matter Film Series, Heartlines 8 Films 8 Values) supported by flagship programmes Fathers Matter, What's Your Story?, and Values and Money. Additional offerings include the Like Water is for Fish book, the Fathers Matter WhatsApp Coach for digital engagement, an online resource centre with videos/e-books/guides, Bridge Leadership Engagement workshops, podcasts, and community events (over 3500 interpersonal events hosted). The portfolio uses the power of storytelling to address social issues including fatherlessness, gender-based violence, mental health, and financial literacy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Masiviwe: A movement for better mental health care for all; raising awareness; breaking stigma; learning to support ourselves and each other
• Fathers Matter
• What's Your Story?
• Values & Money

Products and services

• Heartlines Films Award-winning film series using storytelling to entertain and inspire viewers on values, fatherhood, reconciliation, and social change. Broadcast on SABC, M-Net, and international platforms such as Netflix and ARTE TV.
• Fathers Matter Programme Heartlines' flagship programme addressing fatherlessness in South Africa, where over 60% of children grow up without their biological fathers. Aims to halve fatherlessness in a generation through films, community engagement, WhatsApp coaching, and resources.
• What's Your Story? Social behaviour change communication initiative using edutainment and personal storytelling to break down barriers and unlock creative strategies for change. Includes resources for online church, small groups, workplaces, and communities.
• Values and Money Values-based financial literacy and money education programme that teaches responsible financial behaviour through storytelling and community engagement.
• Like Water is for Fish Book Book authored by Heartlines CEO Dr Garth Japhet illustrating the impact of stories through his own life and interviews with around 20 notable South Africans; described as part memoir, part instruction manual for changing the world.
• Fathers Matter WhatsApp Coach WhatsApp-based coaching service that provides advice, encouragement, and parenting nudges to fathers on their parenting journey.
• Online Resource Centre Extensive library of free resources, courses, videos, e-books, and guides accessible through signup to the Heartlines online resource centre.
• Bridge Leadership Engagement Facilitated workshops developed as part of What's Your Story? that help groups grapple with questions of trust, understanding, and fostering greater unity within themselves and their wider communities.
• Heartlines Podcasts Audio content including podcast conversations on topics like finding healing through empathy, fatherhood, and personal stories of overcoming trauma.
• Community Events and Interpersonal Engagement Over 3,500 interpersonal events hosted, including webinars, online storytelling events, community radio broadcasts, and social media communication to engage communities around values.

Quantifiable outcome

• 10+ million people reached by Heartlines films and resources
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• South African Council of Churches (SACC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Partnership formed during COVID-19 to communicate accurate, empowering information to the church and general public. Heartlines has unique blend of medical knowledge, Christian worldview, and communication skills. Together they formed a communications team and created a COVID-19 website with resources in 11 languages.
• DSI-NRF Centre of Human ExcellencemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with Heartlines to host a four-part webinar series on key issues around men, masculinities and fatherhood.
• Foundations for Farming ZimbabwecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFoundations for Farming Zimbabwe visited Heartlines offices to learn about social behaviour change communication and edutainment methodology. Heartlines offered to help train FfF in listening to its audience. FfF is keen to show Heartlines films during their residential training.
• Foundations for Farming ZambiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of the Foundations for Farming network learning Heartlines' methodology for reaching millions with values messages leading to social change.
• University of the Witwatersrand School of GovernancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn partnership with Wits School of Governance, hosted the 'Rethinking Fatherhood, Gender, and Masculinity in South Africa' symposium on 29 October 2025 focusing on youth perspectives.
• We Will Speak Out SAmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHeartlines senior facilitator Seth Naicker is part of Faith Action to End GBV Collective & We Will Speak Out SA, working to end gender-based violence through faith-based approaches.
• KwaZulu-Natal Church Council (KZNCC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKZNCC worked with Heartlines and church leaders to support reconciliation in communities affected by July 2021 riots, building networks between church leaders to foster peace and build stronger communities.
• UNICEFmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHeartlines and Oak Foundation supported UNICEF's #Grandkids4Gogos campaign to help increase access to COVID-19 vaccines for people over 50 around South Africa.
• Brotherhood Foundation (WesBank)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerInternal WesBank initiative developed in response to rising numbers of men dying by suicide, creating a platform for men to speak about mental health and GBV, addressing absence of safe emotional spaces.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Sesame Workshop: Global non-profit behind Sesame Street, producing award-winning edutainment content for children globally, including South Africa (Takalani Sesame). A broader incumbent with overlapping edutainment methodology and international brand recognition.
• BBC Media Action: The BBC's international development media arm, producing drama, radio, and digital content to drive social change in low- and middle-income countries. Operates in the same values-and-development media space as Heartlines but at vastly greater scale and budget.
• Population Services International (PSI): Global health NPO operating across 50+ countries including South Africa. While focused on health products and services, it competes for the same donor funding and behaviour-change-communication mandates that Heartlines targets, particularly through edutainment-style campaigns.
• Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs: Global health-communication R&D center that designs and evaluates SBCC (social and behaviour change communication) programmes. Comparable to Heartlines on the behaviour-change-communication methodology (research, design, evaluation), and a likely donor/partner peer.

Emerging players

• Praekelt.org: South African non-profit that builds WhatsApp- and mobile-first platforms for health information and social impact. Directly comparable on Heartlines' use of WhatsApp platforms for COVID-19 communications and the Fathers Matter Coach feature.
• Sonke Gender Justice: South African NPO working to advance gender justice, prevent gender-based violence and engage men and boys on positive masculinities. Highly comparable to Heartlines' Fathers Matter, GBV and masculinities work, and competes for overlapping donor funding.

Direct peers

• Population Media Center: US-headquartered NPO that creates long-running serialized dramas (edutainment) to address health, gender, and social issues globally, including in sub-Saharan Africa. Directly comparable on the use of story-driven media for sustained behaviour-change outcomes.
• Search for Common Ground: International NPO that uses media, film, and community engagement to prevent violence and build peace, with deep presence across Africa. Highly comparable to Heartlines' reconciliation work via KZNCC and edutainment-driven values promotion.
• Lifeline South Africa: South African suicide-crisis and mental-health support NPO operating helplines and WhatsApp-based support. Conceptually adjacent to Heartlines' Fathers Matter WhatsApp Coach and Masiviwe mental-health movement; comparable as an NPO delivering individual and family support via free, donor-funded services.
• Soul City Institute: South African NPO that pioneered health-focused multimedia edutainment for social behaviour change. Founded by Heartlines' own CEO Dr. Garth Japhet, it is the closest direct predecessor and operates the same storytelling-for-impact model on adjacent themes (HIV, GBV, health).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/HeartlinesZA
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/HeartlinesSA
• Facebookfacebook.com/HeartlinesZA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/heartlines

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about HEARTLINES