little lions child coaching

What little lions child coaching does

Little Lions Child Coaching is a South African non-profit (NPC, registered 2021; registration 2021/592679/08) founded in 2018 by child psychologist Stijn de Leeuw, delivering free, evidence-based mental health workshops to children aged 8–13 in under-resourced communities. Operating from Cape Town with a supporting foundation in the Netherlands (Stichting Little Lions Nederland) and programme expansion into Kenya, the organisation addresses a critical gap where only 451 public psychologists serve South Africa's children (one per 45,000) and 60% of children report needing but lacking mental health support. Its core products are the Inner Lion Programme (12 sessions + 4 boosters), the newly launched Inner Lion Starter Programme (4-session introductory curriculum), daily community workshops, and the Let's Talk Fellowship, all delivered through locally trained role models aged 18–35 using the proprietary PRIDE framework (Prevention & Promotion, Role-models, Integration, Digital Support, Evidence-Based).

The organisation's technical platform consists of a unique digital attendance and impact tracking system used across Little Lions and partner organisations, complemented by integrations with Stripe and SnapScan for donations, Mailchimp for newsletters, and Google Forms/Google Calendar/iCal/Outlook 365 for event management. The curriculum is delivered directly by Little Lions coaches in Cape Town townships (Khayelitsha, Mfuleni, Langa, Lavender Hill) and indirectly through 12 active implementation partners in South Africa and 5 in Kenya, including schools, NGOs, sports programmes, and community organisations. Since 2021, Little Lions has reached 4,050+ children, trained 150+ local role models, and engaged 350+ parents and community members.

Little Lions generates no commercial revenue; it is funded entirely through individual donations (Pride Sponsors at $14.73–$22.70 / €12.95–€19.95 / R248–R382 monthly), corporate CSI/SED partnerships (with PBO status enabling Section 18A tax certificates), grants (notably Lady Gaga's Born This Way Foundation in 2024), and event-based fundraising (Little Lions Loop, Toscanini Fundraiser in Amsterdam, Running for Resilience Fun Run). The organisation claims 100% of donations flow directly to programmes. Customer segments include children beneficiaries, schools and NGOs as delivery partners, corporate CSI/SED funders, and a global base of individual Pride Sponsors.

Name

little lions child coaching

Legal name

Little Lions Child Coaching

Website

https://littlelionschildcoaching.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Little Lions Child Coaching is a South African non-profit delivering free, evidence-based mental health workshops to children aged 8–13 in under-resourced communities across Cape Town and Kenya, using locally trained role models and the proprietary PRIDE curriculum framework.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Child Mental Health Prevention Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171), Child and Youth Services (62411)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Early Childhood Education & Childcare Nonprofits (BPAGADAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Mental Health & Infant/Early Childhood Consultation (0–5) (EDACAFAO)

Keywords

• Child mental health workshops
• Youth resilience programmes
• Community mental health coaching
• School-based mental health curriculum
• Non-profit mental health prevention

Headquarters

HQ city

Cape Town

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations (Pride Sponsors): Monthly or one-time donations from individual supporters (Pride Sponsors). Donations are processed via Stripe and SnapScan. All funds go directly to workshops, meals, and training of local mental health coaches. No programme revenue is retained from operations.
2. Corporate Social Investment (CSI) / Socio-Economic Development (SED): Corporate partners contribute financially through CSI and SED programmes. Little Lions has PBO status in South Africa and can issue Section 18A certificates to businesses for tax deductions. Benefits include tax certificates, BBBEE points, and brand exposure.
3. Event Fundraising: Annual events including the Little Lions Loop fun run, Toscanini Fundraiser Lunch in Amsterdam, and community fundraisers. Proceeds support free mental health programmes.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Little Lions Child Coaching is a non-profit organization that delivers free, evidence-based, community-embedded mental health workshops and curricula to children aged 8–13 in under-resourced South African and Kenyan townships. Its core offering is the Inner Lion Programme (12 core + 4 booster sessions), supported by the Inner Lion Starter Programme (4-session introductory version), daily workshops, and the Let's Talk Fellowship, all anchored by the proprietary PRIDE framework.

Product overview

Little Lions Child Coaching is a non-profit organisation offering a portfolio of mental health and resilience programmes for children aged 8-13 in under-resourced communities in South Africa and Kenya. The core product is the Inner Lion Programme, a 12-session evidence-based mental health curriculum supported by daily workshops and the Inner Lion Starter Programme (4-session introductory version). The LLet's Talk Fellowship trains local youth as mental health advocates. These programmes are delivered through a unique digital platform for tracking and impact measurement, using the PRIDE Framework (Prevention & Promotion, Role-models, Integration, Digital Support, Evidence-Based). The Pride Champion and Pride Advocate programmes engage volunteers and social media advocates in supporting the mission.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Inner Lion Programme Little Lions' flagship 12-session child mental health programme focused on prevention, emotional wellbeing and resilience for children aged 8–13. Helps children build emotional awareness, confidence, coping skills and resilience through guided sessions, games, movement, storytelling, reflection and creative activities. Delivered free to children via direct workshop delivery and partner-led implementation.
• Inner Lion Starter Programme A 4-session introductory mental health curriculum designed to help children build emotional awareness and resilience through storytelling, play, and guided conversation. Serves as a foundation for children to potentially continue into the full Inner Lion Programme. Targeted at schools and community organisations.
• Let's Talk Fellowship A fully funded 12-month fellowship programme that trains young people (18–35 years old) in Cape Town to become community mental health advocates. Uses a task-shifting approach to equip fellows with skills in communication, facilitation and mental health literacy.

Quantifiable outcome

• 4,050+ children reached with mental health resources since 2021; 791 children reached specifically through Inner Lion Programme partners in 2025
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Stichting Little Lions Nederland (Netherlands Foundation)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Dutch foundation established in 2021 to support Little Lions Child Coaching SA. Handles fundraising primarily in the Netherlands, financial oversight, and awareness creation. Governed by a Board of Trustees (Roswitha Knol, Welmoet Westendorp, Hendrik Wijkstra, Jaimy Siegersma).
• Cornerstone Institute (Give Back 100 Campaign)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Partnership providing funded bursaries to Little Lions fellows who have been excluded from higher education, strengthening their capacity as future community leaders.
• Molo Mhlaba (Khayelitsha)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2025Pilot school for the Inner Lion Starter Programme. 30 learners across Grades 4 and 7 participated in the 4-session introductory curriculum.
• Stawi Camps (Kenya)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2025Kenyan implementing partner trained in January 2025 during Nairobi team visit. One of five Kenyan partners delivering the Inner Lion Programme.
• Futbol Mas (Kenya)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2025Kenyan implementing partner trained in January 2025. Sports-focused organisation integrating the Inner Lion Programme for children.
• Kipkeino School (Kenya)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2025Kenyan implementing partner. School-based delivery of the Inner Lion Programme for children in the Kipkeino community.
• Lakisama (Kenya)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2025Kenyan implementing partner. Community-based delivery of the Inner Lion Programme.
• Little Lions School (Kenya)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2025Kenyan implementing partner. School-based delivery of the Inner Lion Programme.
• Nivishe Foundation (Kenya)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2025Kenyan partner met during January 2025 Nairobi team visit. Part of the network of mental health collaborators in Nairobi.
• Cheza Cheza Dance (Kenya)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2025Kenyan arts/dance organisation met during Nairobi visit. Potential partner for integrating mental health through creative arts.
• Nyamburi / Mighty Ally (Kenya)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Advisory/consulting partner met during Nairobi visit supporting Kenya programme expansion.
• Khayelitsha Athletics ClubminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Local athletics club collaborating with Little Lions to organise the annual Running for Resilience Fun Run in Khayelitsha.
• Mikhailia Petersen (Artist)minorOthers · 1 January 2024Renowned South African artist created analogue portraits of twelve Little Lions mentees for the Reimagining Themba project — South Africa's first child mental health awareness campaign in a township. Portraits were displayed at Guga S'thebe community centre and along 2.5km of Langa's main road.
• Guga S'thebe Arts & Culture CentreminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2024Community centre in Langa, Cape Town, recently visited by the Dutch King and Queen. Hosted the Reimagining Themba art installation launch in October 2024.

Scale indicators16 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• Born This Way Foundation: Lady Gaga's nonprofit focused on youth mental health and kindness. Provided grant funding and support to Little Lions in 2024. Comparable as a mental-health-focused funder/ecosystem partner rather than a direct delivery peer.

Direct peers

• Sangath: India-based mental health research and implementation nonprofit pioneering task-shifting interventions delivered by non-specialist health workers. Comparable on the use of evidence-based curricula, community-embedded delivery, and the core insight that non-clinicians can effectively deliver child and adolescent mental health prevention.
• BasicNeeds: UK-headquartered nonprofit working in low- and middle-income countries (Ghana, Kenya, Uganda, India, Nepal, Tanzania) on mental health and epilepsy through community-based models. Comparable on developing-country mental health delivery and donor-funded structure.
• StrongMinds: US-founded nonprofit delivering community-based mental health treatment and prevention in East Africa (Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania) using a task-shifting model with lay therapists. Closest peer to Little Lions: similar geography, same task-shifting methodology, same child-and-family target population, and comparable donation-based funding model.

Broad incumbents

• BRAC: Large international development organisation operating education, health, and youth programmes in Africa and Asia. Comparable in delivering structured curricula at scale through community-embedded facilitators in low-income settings.
• Save the Children: Large international NGO with programmes covering child protection, health, and education globally. Comparable in serving under-resourced communities and operating in Kenya and South Africa, but as part of a much broader portfolio of services.
• War Child: International NGO focused on the protection and mental wellbeing of children affected by conflict. Overlaps with Little Lions on child mental health prevention and resilience curricula, but at a much larger scale across many countries and with a broader portfolio.
• UNICEF: Global UN agency for children's rights and wellbeing, with growing programmes in mental health and adolescent wellbeing. Operates across the same African geographies and serves the same beneficiary age cohort, with vastly greater funding and policy reach.

Regional players

• Cotlands: South African early childhood development nonprofit providing ECD and family-strengthening services to under-resourced communities. Comparable as a South African children's services nonprofit working in township contexts, though focused on younger children.
• Ikamva Youth: South African nonprofit providing educational and psychosocial support to township youth through a volunteer-tutor model. Comparable as a Cape Town-based nonprofit using community-embedded youth to deliver outcomes to township beneficiaries.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@Littlelionschildcoaching
• Facebookfacebook.com/littlelionscoaching
• Instagraminstagram.com/littlelionscoaching
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/littlelionschildcoaching

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about little lions child coaching