Our Story
How It All Began
Ceemel Healing Foundation was founded by two lifelong friends, Melissa Ndoro and Connie Kotelo. The name "Ceemel" is derived from their shared belief that healing begins with compassion, dignity and practical action.
For many years, Melissa volunteered tirelessly in community feeding schemes across Johannesburg, serving hot meals to hundreds of families each week. Meanwhile, Connie worked directly with vulnerable families and children in disadvantaged communities, witnessing firsthand the devastating effects of poverty, hunger, and neglect.
Together, they saw children going to bed hungry. They saw elderly people left alone without care. They saw families broken by domestic violence, youth lost to drugs, and people with disabilities excluded from their own communities.
But they also saw something else. They saw the incredible resilience of the human spirit. They saw communities coming together to support one another. And they saw that every act of kindness, no matter how small, created a ripple effect of healing.
The Need
South Africa faces profound humanitarian challenges. We refuse to look away.
Over 11 million South Africans face hunger daily. Children go to school without breakfast, and families skip meals to make ends meet.
Thousands sleep on the streets each night, exposed to violence, disease, and extreme weather conditions.
South Africa has one of the highest rates of gender-based violence in the world. Women and children need safe spaces and support.
Rural communities often lack basic medical facilities. Preventable diseases claim lives that could have been saved.
Children from poor families are denied educational opportunities, perpetuating the cycle of poverty across generations.
People living with disabilities face discrimination, lack of access to services, and limited opportunities for dignified living.
Our Journey
Melissa and Connie host their first community feeding in Soweto, serving 50 meals from borrowed pots in a church parking lot. The seed of Ceemel is planted.
Ceemel Healing Foundation is officially registered as a non-profit organisation. The first soup kitchen opens in Alexandra township.
GreenLeaf Holdings becomes our first corporate partner, enabling us to expand from one to five feeding programs across Gauteng.
We launch our first back-to-school drive, providing uniforms and supplies to 200 children. The education pillar of our work is established.
Partnering with volunteer healthcare professionals, we launch our first mobile medical clinic, serving rural communities in Mpumalanga.
During the pandemic, we distribute over 2 million meals, establish temporary shelters, and provide hygiene supplies to 50,000 families.
Ceemel expands operations to KwaZulu-Natal, Western Cape and Limpopo, reaching over 40 communities nationwide.
We open our first skills development centre for women, offering sewing, catering, and business skills training.
We celebrate serving our 1 millionth meal. The foundation now operates 12 soup kitchens, 8 school nutrition programs, and 5 community gardens.
We establish a rapid disaster response network capable of deploying emergency relief within 48 hours anywhere in South Africa.
Today, with over 1,200 volunteers and partnerships across the continent, Ceemel continues to grow - always guided by the simple truth that every person deserves dignity.
We believe that every person, regardless of their circumstances, deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. Our programs are designed to restore dignity, not diminish it.
We don't impose solutions. We listen to communities, understand their needs, and work alongside them to build sustainable change from within.
We track every meal served, every child sponsored, every life touched. Transparency and accountability are not optional - they are our promise to you.
Every chapter of our history has been written by people like you - donors, volunteers, partners and community members who refused to stand by.