A youth led foundation creating lasting change through compassion, education, health initiatives and community outreach.
Mahlatse Mahlake Foundation is a youth led South African foundation restoring hope and empowering communities, serving vulnerable children, women and families.
Read MoreWe create safe spaces through food relief, education, health initiatives, community development and youth empowerment, working alongside local partners to strengthen entire neighbourhoods.
Read MoreTake hands with us. By donating, volunteering or partnering with us, you help restore dignity and change lives across South Africa, one family at a time.
Read MoreWhether it's your money, your time, your goods or your organisation, there's a way for you to be part of this work.
Sponsor, support awareness campaigns, or partner as a corporate organisation.
Explore partnershipMahlatse Mahlake Foundation is a youth led non-profit organisation focused on mobilising young people to serve communities through education support, social relief, health initiatives and volunteer driven outreach. We are committed to restoring dignity, creating opportunity, and delivering sustainable impact through structured outreach programmes.
Youth Led NPC
Serving with purpose
To empower and uplift children, women, youth, and vulnerable communities through educational support, literacy initiatives, school shoe and clothing drives, dignity programmes, food relief efforts, community and health outreach, and acts of service that inspire hope, restore dignity, and strengthen communities.
To build empowered communities where children, women, and families from underprivileged backgrounds thrive in dignity, health, education, and hope, never forgotten, never unsupported, and empowered to build brighter futures.
Compassion
We care for the vulnerable and uplift communities.
Empowerment
We educate, equip and empower for a better future.
Community
We build stronger communities through love and service.
The Mahlatse Mahlake Foundation was founded on a simple belief: that changing lives is the responsibility of all of us.
My name is Mahlatse Mahlake, and I am a fourth year dental student with a passion for helping those in need. Since high school, I have dreamed of starting a foundation that would bring hope and support to vulnerable members of our communities, especially children and young people.
Rather than waiting for the perfect time, I chose to start with what I have and where I am. The foundation exists to serve through acts of compassion, community outreach, educational support, health education and awareness, and social relief initiatives. We believe that no act of kindness is too small and that meaningful change begins when people choose to care.
Guided by faith and inspired by the love of Jesus Christ, we are committed to restoring hope, uplifting communities, and encouraging young people to believe in their potential and pursue their dreams.
Together, we can build stronger children, stronger communities, and a brighter future.
Mahlatse Mahlake
Founder
These are national figures, not MMF's own numbers. They are the scale of the need our programmes respond to every day.
Sources: Statistics South Africa, Quarterly Labour Force Survey and Poverty Trends in South Africa report; UNICEF South Africa child food poverty data.
“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people…”
Galatians 6:9 to 10
Ditshegofatso ka tirelo, kholofelo ka ditiro. Bana ba matla, setšhaba se matla.
Mahlatse Mahlake Foundation's guiding words, in Sepedi
This scripture is not just inspiration, it is our operational posture. It defines:
Our Consistency
We serve faithfully, not only when it is convenient or visible.
Our Perseverance
We remain committed even when impact takes time.
Our Compassion
We respond to need with love and dignity.
Our Sense of Urgency
We act while we have the opportunity to do good.
Our Long-Term Commitment
We believe sustainable impact requires endurance.
We understand that meaningful change does not happen overnight. We are not starting for a moment. We are building for impact, legacy, and lasting transformation.
“Thanks for this lovely day. The child in me came out with all those lovely childhood games we played. Really had fun.”
Women's Day Guest
Local Shelter, Gauteng
“Thank you so much to the foundation for the delicious food and gifts.”
Women's Day Guest
Local Shelter, Gauteng
“Thank you so much MMF, the gifts, food and time spent with us was great.”
Women's Day Guest
Local Shelter, Gauteng
“Thank you so much to MMF for the lovely gifts and spending time with us and our children.”
Women's Day Guest
Local Shelter, Gauteng
“Thank you so much to the foundation for the wonderful food and gifts, we truly appreciate it.”
Women's Day Guest
Local Shelter, Gauteng
“Thank you to MMF for an amazing day, may the Lord bless them abundantly.”
Women's Day Guest
Local Shelter, Gauteng
“Thank you so much, I had a great day.”
Women's Day Guest
Local Shelter, Gauteng
“Thank you to MMF for a fantastic day with us, the ladies and the kids, and for the awesome treats.”
Women's Day Guest
Local Shelter, Gauteng
“Thanks to Mahlatse and the team, we had a good time, delicious lunch and oral health education.”
Women's Day Guest
Local Shelter, Gauteng
“Thank you to the wonderful foundation for a wonderful day and beautiful meal, gifts and wonderful messages and verses. Highly appreciated.”
Women's Day Guest
Local Shelter, Gauteng
“Thank you so much to the Mahlatse Foundation for such an amazing day and the lovely food. We really appreciate it, and the children had fun playing games with you.”
Women's Day Guest
Local Shelter, Gauteng
“Mahlatse and the team, thank you so much for visiting us today. The lunch was delicious and we love the gifts. God bless.”
Women's Day Guest
Local Shelter, Gauteng
“Thanks for this lovely day. The child in me came out with all those lovely childhood games we played. Really had fun.”
Women's Day Guest
Local Shelter, Gauteng
“Thank you so much to the foundation for the delicious food and gifts.”
Women's Day Guest
Local Shelter, Gauteng
“Thank you so much MMF, the gifts, food and time spent with us was great.”
Women's Day Guest
Local Shelter, Gauteng
“Thank you so much to MMF for the lovely gifts and spending time with us and our children.”
Women's Day Guest
Local Shelter, Gauteng
“Thank you so much to the foundation for the wonderful food and gifts, we truly appreciate it.”
Women's Day Guest
Local Shelter, Gauteng
“Thank you to MMF for an amazing day, may the Lord bless them abundantly.”
Women's Day Guest
Local Shelter, Gauteng
“Thank you so much, I had a great day.”
Women's Day Guest
Local Shelter, Gauteng
“Thank you to MMF for a fantastic day with us, the ladies and the kids, and for the awesome treats.”
Women's Day Guest
Local Shelter, Gauteng
“Thanks to Mahlatse and the team, we had a good time, delicious lunch and oral health education.”
Women's Day Guest
Local Shelter, Gauteng
“Thank you to the wonderful foundation for a wonderful day and beautiful meal, gifts and wonderful messages and verses. Highly appreciated.”
Women's Day Guest
Local Shelter, Gauteng
“Thank you so much to the Mahlatse Foundation for such an amazing day and the lovely food. We really appreciate it, and the children had fun playing games with you.”
Women's Day Guest
Local Shelter, Gauteng
“Mahlatse and the team, thank you so much for visiting us today. The lunch was delicious and we love the gifts. God bless.”
Women's Day Guest
Local Shelter, Gauteng
MMF has just launched its Back-to-School initiative, running now through December 2026. We're collecting school bags and school shoes, new or pre-loved, for learners who need them. Can't donate goods? A monetary contribution works too.
MMF honoured women residing in a local shelter with a shared meal, toiletry and clothing donations, fellowship, and oral health education this Women's Month. See how the day unfolded.
Choosing an amount and tapping Donate now opens a WhatsApp chat with our team, who arrange the rest of your gift directly with you. No card details ever touch the website.
Beyond Women's Month, MMF keeps collecting sanitary pads and hygiene products at our Lindhaven Shopping Centre, Roodepoort collection point, all year round.
Every programme we run now falls under one of four pillars: Children & Education, Community Relief & Social Support, Women's Wellness & Dignity, and Community Health & Wellness, a clearer structure for how we serve.
Founder Mahlatse Mahlake, a fourth year dental student, chose not to wait for the perfect time to start a foundation. Read the story behind why MMF exists and who it serves.
Coverage from South African and international outlets on the food insecurity and poverty our programmes respond to every week.
A new UNICEF report finds nearly a quarter of South African children are at risk of life threatening malnutrition, the exact crisis our food relief programmes exist to address.
Read at UNICEF South AfricaThe ConversationResearchers break down why child hunger persists at this scale and what policy and community level changes are needed to shift it.
Read at The ConversationDaily MaverickFirst hand accounts of households living with hunger, a reminder of who our outreach days and food parcels are actually reaching.
Read at Daily Maverick
