This is what happens when you choose Rhythm of Hope

None of that had to happen. All of it started with one class.

Rhythm of Hope Outreach (ROHO) is a registered NPO (316-367) that provides free weekly dance classes to children at under-resourced schools in Pretoria.

Same Identity Curriculum. Same quality of teaching. Same belief that every child in that room belongs there, regardless of where she comes from or what her family can afford.

It is funded by studio fees, individual donors, and fundraising. It is not a separate project from ROHD. It is the reason the movement exists.

Portia's story

Portia Tabola has been dancing since she was seven years old. She grew up in Plasticview township, and is originally from Lesotho. She was spotted in a school class — a free class, funded by families who enrolled at Rhythm of Hope Dance.

She is on her way to qualifying as a DASA Ballet Coach and Early Childhood Development Diploma. She teaches at the studio. She coaches the next generation of children who look exactly like her and has a passion for ministry dance.

A child walks into a school hall. There are no mirrors. There is no barre. There is a teacher who knows her name and a curriculum that tells her through the movement, through the values, through the prayer that opens and closes every class, that she was made for something.

She learns the same things the children in the studios learn. Not a simpler version. Not a ‘non-profit’ version. The same thing.

Because she deserves the same thing.

Two entities. One mission.

Rhythm of Hope Outreach identifies places where disadvantaged youths (from low income households) are already gathered within structures that facilitate the regular teaching of dance classes. We then place trained dance teachers in those places to love, inspire and teach them dance in their contexts to build their self-esteem and personal identities.

We also create exam and performance opportunities for them to allow those with exceptional talent legitimate dance-related career opportunities for their futures.

Our profit-generating sister company, Rhythm of Hope Dance, started after Rhythm of Hope Outreach as a way to provide more sustainability to the outreach program in terms of a 10% monthly profit contribution as well as a support community around our outreach initiatives. Both provide the same quality classes and curriculums — one is just subsidised.

Our senior and vocational ballet studio classes also currently host our Hope Girls together with paying studio students on their qualifying dance journeys, and both types of students become possible teachers for future outreach and profit-generating initiatives.

Portia. Elsie. Mihle. Evelyn. Ayanda. Kananelo.

Why we started

By Talitha de Klerk, Founder

I grew up in an "average" home, but that perception shattered in high school when an informal settlement formed right next to our church. Suddenly, I was confronted with the radical difference in our hopes for the future. Though we lived in the same city, sometimes the same neighbourhood, our worlds were light-years apart. I had access to quality education and international travel by age 16. I couldn't stop wondering: Why me? Why was I born into this circumstance and not theirs? It made me realise how much easier it was for me to believe in hope simply because of the safety net I was born into.

The calling to share dance as a gift was confirmed piece by piece. I met a girl from Eswatini who had only dreamt of ballet until she saw us dancing. On a trip to Mozambique, orphaned children begged me to teach them. Upon my return, I saw the story of Michaela de Prince, an orphan who found purpose through dance, the very day before my church announced a school for the local community. Fourteen years ago, I started with just six students. Today, I stand amazed that dance has helped two of our most talented girls, Portia and Ayanda, secure quality education and tertiary access, opportunities previously unimaginable for their peers.

Along this journey, dance itself was redeemed for me. What had become a merciless, competitive pursuit of perfection, where I felt I was never enough, transformed. By sharing it, I saw how dance could be an escape, a place to process emotion, and a doorway into a new life. It redeemed a powerful art form by turning it into a tool for restoration.

A Shared Need for Belonging

What surprised me most was recognising a deeper poverty we all shared. Many of us with ample opportunities feel overwhelmed by performance-driven environments. We feel that who we are, or what we do, will never be enough to truly belong. While the girls face the physical poverty of lack, I faced the internal poverty of building my identity on results. From the outside, we are different, but inside, we share a core need to feel like we belong. Perhaps you know this type of poverty, too.

This is why, while dance is the gift we share, our focus is restoring healthy identity. We teach a specific curriculum focused on a girl's sense of Belonging (others), Worth (God), and Competence (self). Imagine a city where young girls know they are already enough. Imagine girls armed with a "progress" mentality, brave enough to risk trying and humble enough to fail until they succeed. This is the transformation that shifts unemployment rates, teenage pregnancy, and the future of female leadership.

Join THE RHYTHM: Why Monthly Support is Essential

The need is vast. Over 57% of children in South Africa experience multidimensional poverty. Immediate relief helps for a day, but overcoming systemic obstacles takes decades. Structured dance and intentional identity formation provide that lasting impact.

We envision Rhythm of Hope as a pulse across Africa, but building a healthy identity takes consistent mentorship for 10 to 12 years. This journey cannot be accomplished with a single donation; it requires a heartbeat. Right now, we have 56 girls at Pure Hope ready to change their lives, and 4 "Hope Girls" qualifying as mentors for their own communities.

This is why we invite you to join THE RHYTHM. By becoming a monthly donor, you become the anchor that keeps the melody of hope playing. Your consistency ensures our mentors show up regularly. You change the way a girl in Africa takes her place on the stage of life.

Would you consider joining THE RHYTHM?

Your support helps 56 girls learn to dance and spread this melody. In return, I commit to personally updating you on their progress every term. Let their story of hope become part of your story, too.

Rhythm of Hope Outreach (NPO)

Rhythm of Hope Outreach is a registered Non-Profit Organisation. Below are our official registration details and banking information for direct donations.

Address

326 Susan Street, Die Wilgers, 0081