NewsCatcher Blog Posts - Dreamcatcher South Africa NPC

Unique musical production re-awakens lost culture in a South African rural community

Youth – and community development to improve quality of life in communities across South Africa, are a key cornerstone of Dreamcatcher South Africa’s work. The cultural identity of the community of Melkhoutfontein has been hidden for a long time, causing uncertainty about their ancestry and their legacy. Identity emerges during childhood as children start to comprehend their self-concept, and remains a profound and consistent aspect

April 23, 2025

Happy 92nd Birthday Lisa!

Happy 92nd Birthday Lisa ! This weekend we were delighted to spend precious time with Lisa Daries to celebrate her 92nd birthday.

Our founder Anthea conveyed best wishes from all at Dreamcatcher and Lisa was thrilled with her gifts. We have had the privilege of knowing Lisa for 40 years. She was one of the first residents in Soeterus where along with late husband

January 26, 2025

Students from Paul Smiths College participaying in the PaintUp with Kamamma initiative

2025 starts with a bang at Dreamcatcher

A belated happy new year……2025 started with a bang for Dreamcatcher! On the very first day of the year we were delighted to welcome and host sustainability staff and students from Paul Smith’s College Natural Sciences, New York, USA. This is the second group from Paul Smith’s we’ve had the pleasure to host in South Africa, and in collaboration with the college Dreamcatcher designed the

January 19, 2025

Lego boosts cognititive development of youth in Melkhoutfontein

We’ve been engaging with the youth in Melkhoutfontein and other communities in South Africa for over 3 decades in a wide range of activities and programmes. During the past two months we have been running our ‘Lego Club’ in Melkhoutfontein. We are lucky to have wonderful volunteers and supporters locally and across the world who have donated over 10,000 pieces of Lego including complete sets

December 13, 2024

Unique Photo Project Celebrates the People of Melkhoutfontein enters its second phase

In 2019 Hans, Chair of our sister organisation Dreamcatcher Nederlands, embarked on a project taking over 200 portraits of residents and their homes in Melkhoutfontein – with each family receiving their own portrait. The images were also collated in a book and featured at the Festival voor het Afrikaans held in The Hague, Netherlands.

November 6, 2024

Elmordine leading the 'Heritage Walkabout'

Dreamcatcher South Africa and the Western Cape Government e-Centre celebrate the significant heritage of Melkhoutfontein in South Africa

To coincide with National Heritage Day, last month a ‘Heritage Walkabout’ was held in Melkhoutfontein, educating local youth about the importance of their heritage and environment. The event was a collaboration between Dreamcatcher South Africa NPC, represented by Elmordine, and the Melkhoutfontein WCG eCentre, led by Vilando. Elmordine and Vilando are also both qualified tour guides with Dreamcatcher.

October 12, 2024

The completed ‘Dearly Departed Dreamcatchers’

‘Paint Up with Kamamma’ reawakens this ‘Heritage Month’ celebrating Melkhoutfontein’s significant history

In 2016 we launched ‘PaintUp with Kamamma’™ in Melkhoutfontein which celebrates the rich cultural heritage of the local area and tells stories of the community through stunning murals adorning houses. Our aim was to create -and transition Melkhoutfontein as a unique destination. The project was launched by then Dutch Ambassador to South Africa, Marisa Gerards who joined the community and local dignitaries to paint the

September 21, 2024

Launch of the ‘Give Us Hope Johanna!’ Home Composting initiative

Dreamcatcher has been working on addressing poor waste management since 2009. A key component of this work has been addressing organic waste. Organic waste – consisting mainly of food and garden waste – is a useful resource that can be recycled and transformed into compost to grow fruit, vegetables, and flowers in residential backyards.

Unfortunately, within South Africa much of this resource is being ‘wasted’.

May 21, 2024

Happy Global Recycling Day !

Happy Global Recycling Day everyone!

For almost 20 years Dreamcatcher have been working on initiatives to address waste and its impact on public health and environment – you can find out more here.

We are proud to be members of the Institute of Waste Management of Southern Africa and active participants in the SMJ Community Waste Working Group working to improve waste management in

March 18, 2024