Mission

I Care is a non-profit organisation devoted to finding meaningful and sustainable solutions to the challenge of street children in South Africa and a ministry that promotes a Christian ethos.

Vision

I Care works towards achieving its mission through the adoption of a holistic approach which we call the I Care cycle, the aim of which is to create effective members of society who are productive and able to give something back.

Values

We aim to use public donations, both local and international, on activities that reflect our mission. We wish to provide our donors with the comfort that they need regarding the legitimate use of their funds.

We acknowledge our duty to our employees and agents and will strive to be an employer of choice by offering them opportunities for self-development and enrichment.

As guardians of public funds, we believe that we must be directed by our Christian beliefs in all aspects of our activities and strive to create an environment which respects the beliefs and feelings of all our stakeholders.

We believe in applying this principle in the following ways:

We acknowledge that we are all children of God and are all special in His sight. The distinction between classes is therefore a social one which has no place in our organisation. This value requires we treat each person as special and work towards revealing those God-given gifts that reside in all of us

We acknowledge that we act in a fiduciary capacity towards the public and that we are working towards the betterment of society. As such we will act in an open and honest manner and are fully accountable to the public for the funds advanced to us for the furtherance of our mission.

We view those organisations which reflect our values and that we support, or that which support us, as our partners. We accept that we have a mutual responsibility towards each other and should contribute synergistically towards each others missions. This value necessitates we select our partners carefully so that all benefit. Further, we will strive to transact with people and entities we feel can meaningfully contribute towards our mission.

Our employees deserve to be treated with respect. We endeavour to create a rewarding environment by developing our employees and helping them realise their potential. We encourage our staff to stretch themselves and encourage and assist them with additional study activities.
Any service we render, or activity we embark on, is to be done to the highest professional standards. The service we offer is to reflect these standards. Professionalism requires we strive to improve ourselves and enhance the benefits offered to all our stakeholders.

About us

LHC FOUNDATION TRUST

This Trust was formed in 2002 in memory of the late Graham Cochrane's father, Lawrence Henry Cochrane.

Graham was inspired by his father's life and the values he instilled in his family.

"My father did not share the many material pleasures that children of his age enjoyed.  He lived a simple life with simple values.  Help those in need, put your family first, be wise in your dealings in life.  He left a legacy in this Foundation, and it is reflected in our Value Statement."

Thanks to the values and Christian principles that his father had instilled in his family, Graham established this Trust to give something back to the community in which he lived.

The I Care Campaign started as an Awareness campaign, with the advertisements on radio and in the press, warning the  public that giving money to street children is not a solution and in fact contributes to the problem.

"The worst thing you can do is to give a street child money, but the next worse thing you can do is nothing!"

Graham Cochrane

Rather than giving money directly to street children, the public were encouraged to make a monthly contribution via a debit order to I Care, so that funding could be responsibly directed to those children in need.  Each donar received a disc to display on the driver's side of the front windscreen of their vehicle, to indicate their support to children on the street, through I Care.

Our Outreach teams informed street children about the significance of the vehicle discs.  Inter alia motorists with I Care discs are supporting street children through our organisation.

In response to the huge need and with wonderful public and corporate support this organisation started to adopt a holistic approach to the problem.

Initial areas of support included Outreach to children on the streets, educational support, financial and food support for existing shelters (housing), and skills development programmes specifically the Development Sailing Programme undertaken through the Royal Natal Yacht Club.

Sadly Graham and his crew, including Michael Goolam a development sailor, were lost at sea during the 2005 Beachcomber Mauritius to Durban yacht race aboard the yacht Moquini.  I Care continues to move forward and now supports projects in six operational areas, working to fulfill Graham's dream of alleviating the plight of street children.