Just Footprints Foundation

What Just Footprints Foundation does

Just Footprints Foundation (JFF) is a South African registered Non-Profit Organisation (NPO 061-872-NPO) founded in 2008 that provides free, transformative camp experiences and psychosocial support programs to children with serious illnesses, disabilities, and life challenges. Operating across 6-8 provinces in South Africa, JFF has conducted 116 camps since inception, serving 5,647 cumulative campers with 17,742 bed nights and engaging 2,666 trained volunteer camp crew members, all backed by 24-hour on-site professional medical teams. Its service portfolio spans residential camps (Camp Footprints), In-Hospital Programmes, Sibling Camps including bereavement support, Camp-On-The-Move community outreach (75 deployments reaching 12,586 children), Family Weekend Camps, and the Care for the Carer Mental Wellness Programme, plus the Back2SchoolBags initiative.

The organization operates a non-revenue model: all programs are provided at zero cost to beneficiaries, with funding sourced entirely from individual donations, corporate sponsorships, and institutional grants. JFF is a member of the SeriousFun Children's Network Partner Camp Programme (founded by Paul Newman) and has built a deep referral and co-hosting ecosystem with South African hospitals, NGOs (CHOC, Reach For A Dream, Cotlands, Ikageng Itireleng, Sizanani), and corporate sponsors (National Lotteries Commission, Taste Holdings, Independent Newspapers). It holds Public Benefit Organisation Section 18A tax-deductible status and Level 1 B-BBEE Contributor status. The operating model is volunteer-intensive with only 6 paid employees, and the technology footprint is limited to a WordPress website, social media channels, and PayFast donation processing, with no proprietary software platform or AI capabilities.

Name

Just Footprints Foundation

Legal name

Just Footprints Foundation

Website

https://justfootprints.org.za

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Just Footprints Foundation is a South African non-profit founded in 2008 that delivers free therapeutic camp programs and psychosocial support to children with serious illnesses, disabilities, and life challenges, operating across 6-8 provinces with a volunteer-driven model and 24-hour on-site medical support.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Therapeutic Recreation Camp Services

NAICS

Voluntary Health Organizations (813212)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000)

akta.pro primary industry

Disability Services & Independent Living Support (BPAGACAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Special Education, Disability Support & Inclusive Education Nonprofits (BPAGADAH), Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

Keywords

• Therapeutic camping services
• Pediatric recreation programs
• Medically supported camps
• Sibling bereavement support
• Community outreach programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Umdloti

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Just Footprints Foundation is a non-profit that provides free, transformative residential and outreach camp programs for children with serious illnesses, disabilities, and life challenges in South Africa. Programs include Camp Footprints (residential camps), In-Hospital Programmes, Sibling Camps, Camp-On-The-Move outreach, Family Weekend Camps, and the Care for the Carer Mental Wellness Programme, all delivered with a professional medical team. All services are provided free of charge and funded through donations, grants, and corporate sponsorships.

Product overview

Just Footprints Foundation operates as a non-profit camp organization offering a portfolio of programs centered around Camp Footprints, its flagship residential camp experience. The organization provides free, transformative camp and recreational experiences to children with serious illnesses, disabilities, and life challenges through multiple interconnected programs: Camp Footprints (the core residential camp), In-Hospital Programmes, Sibling Camps, Camp-On-The-Move outreach programs, Family Weekend Camps, and the Care for the Carer Mental Wellness Programme. All programs are completely free of charge and backed by professional medical teams. The organization collaborates with the SeriousFun Children's Network (founded by Paul Newman) and operates across six regions in South Africa.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Camp Footprints The foundation's flagship residential camp program offering 3 and 5-day transformative camp experiences for children with serious illnesses, disabilities, and life challenges, held at venues across South Africa (game reserves, beach locations such as Kwalata Game Reserve and Hibberdene Children's Holiday Home), with full 24-hour medical support and approximately 50 children per camp.
• In-Hospital Programmes Compassionate programs bringing camp experiences directly to children receiving care in paediatric oncology and general paediatric hospital wards, delivering joy, healing and meaningful engagement to children who cannot attend residential camps due to medical limitations.
• Sibling Camps Specialised camp experiences for siblings of children with serious illnesses — referred to as 'Silent Sufferers' — providing safe spaces to process emotions, find peer support and rediscover joy, and including bereavement support for siblings coping with loss.
• Camp-On-The-Move (COTM) Programmes Dynamic outreach programmes that bring the spirit of camp directly to children at beneficiary community organisations, schools and care centres across Gauteng, Western Cape, Eastern Cape, and KwaZulu-Natal, with 75 such programmes delivered to 12,586 children using 2,102 volunteer camp crew members.
• Family Weekend Camps Free 3-day inclusive experiences for children with serious illnesses, disabilities and life challenges together with their families, combining culturally rooted programmes with professional medical support to foster resilience, independence, and hope.
• Care for the Carer Mental Wellness Programme Support programme for primary caregivers and parents that restores, uplifts and empowers them through wellness retreats, resilience workshops, peer support and creative healing sessions, delivered in retreat spaces and community centres.
• Back2SchoolBags School supply initiative providing essential back-to-school items to campers returning to school, supporting approximately 500 children annually at a cost of two bags per $50 donation, with donations processed tax-deductibly via Climb for a Child Inc.

Quantifiable outcome

• 5,647 campers served since founding
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core, supporting and minor.

• SeriousFun Children's NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2008Affiliated Partner Camp Program member since 2008, founded by Paul Newman in the USA. Provides access to international medical and psychosocial expertise, resources, and programming standards for children with serious health challenges.
• CHOC Childhood Cancer Foundation South AfricacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2008Long-standing partnership referring children with cancer to camp programs. CHOC provides psychosocial staff and volunteers for sibling camps and bereavement support programs.
• Reach For A Dream FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2008Co-hosts camps for children with serious illnesses, combining dream fulfillment with therapeutic recreation experiences.
• Constantia Rotary ClubsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing partnership in Western Cape camps, providing volunteers and sponsorship for camp activities and excursions.
• Port Shepstone Rotary ClubsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for KwaZulu-Natal camps, sponsoring activities and excursions for children at Hibberdene.
• Duke University (DukeEngage)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity volunteer program sending students to volunteer as camp counselors. Levi Rhoades from Duke University volunteered in 2017 summer.
• CotlandscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChildren's hospice organization partnering for residential and outreach camps since 2008.
• Ikageng Itireleng AIDS MinistrycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHIV/AIDS care organization referring children to camps since 2008, including Soweto-based programs.
• Sizanani Outreach Centre NkandlacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMobile home-based care service in KwaZulu-Natal delivering orphaned and vulnerable children to camps, providing counselling, HIV-testing, and support services.
• The Gateway SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpecial needs school with ongoing annual camp partnership since 2011, bringing students with disabilities to camp experiences.
• Sparrow SchoolsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational institution referring children to camp programs.
• Sacred Heart College (Three2Six Project)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerInitiative reaching out to child refugees in inner city Johannesburg, partnering for refugee children's camp experiences.
• Fight with InsightsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerBoxing and life skills program for children from Hillbrow and inner city Johannesburg, partnering for boot camp experiences.
• Rena Le LonasupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCreative centre for vulnerable children and orphans of HIV/AIDS, partnering for art and sports-based camp programs.
• Bolton IncminorOthersVideo production team (Bridgette & Louis Bolton) documenting camp adventures using drone photography in KwaZulu-Natal.
• Various South African HospitalscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnerships with hospitals including Albert Luthuli Hospital, Chris Hani Baragwanath, Charlotte Maxeke, Steve Biko Academic, Dr George Mukhari, Red Cross Children's, Groote Schuur, and Tygerberg hospitals for referring patients to camps.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Make-A-Wish Foundation International: Global wish-granting organization serving children with critical illnesses, operating at far greater scale and brand recognition than JFF, with an overlapping beneficiary population and emotional-support mission.
• Ronald McDonald House Charities: Global nonprofit supporting families of seriously ill children through housing, in-hospital programs, and family-centered services — a broader incumbent in the same child-illness support category as JFF.
• Special Olympics South Africa: South African arm of a global organization providing sports training and competition for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. Overlaps with JFF's disability-serving mission but with a sports focus rather than illness.

Regional players

• Camp Sunshine: US-based retreat program for children with life-threatening illnesses and their families. Operates the same model of medically supported residential retreats for seriously ill children but in North America.
• Camp Quality Australia: Australian counterpart providing free camps and respite for children with cancer and serious illnesses. Uses a similar residential camp model to JFF but in a different geography.

Direct peers

• Reach For A Dream Foundation: South African nonprofit fulfilling dreams for children with life-threatening illnesses. It is a co-host and partner of JFF camps and serves an overlapping beneficiary population of seriously ill children.
• CHOC Childhood Cancer Foundation South Africa: South African NGO supporting children with cancer and their families. Both organizations serve the same beneficiary population in South Africa and have an established referral/co-hosting partnership for camp programs, sibling support, and bereavement.
• Camp Quality South Africa: South African nonprofit running camps for children with cancer and serious illnesses, with a near-identical program model to JFF and a similar SeriousFun-aligned mission.
• Cotlands: South African children's hospice and care organization that partners with JFF for residential and outreach camps. Both serve vulnerable and ill children in South Africa with overlapping psychosocial support missions.

Emerging players

• Dream a Dream (India): Indian nonprofit that uses camp and life-skills programs to support vulnerable youth including those facing serious life challenges. Comparable in using structured camp methodology for psychosocial outcomes, with a slightly broader youth-development scope.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Just_Footprints
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCL2e3Q8sj4biEvRq2nrC1fA
• Facebookfacebook.com/JustFootprintsFoundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/justfootprintsfoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/just-footprints-foundation

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Just Footprints Foundation