Children of Zululand logo

Children of Zululand

All children deserve a hero, somebody to look up to, who cares. An adult who will not let them down and who always gives them a second chance - who understands the value of relations and who insists to see the child grow up and become the best he or she can be.

As we grow older, we realize that we have two hands - one to help ourselves and one to help others.

To help others is the secret ingredient to a happy life!

Become one of us in Children of Zululand today!

We need sponsors, donations, volunteers, delegates, fundraisers - anybody who feels like contributing to making the world a better place.

Check out our presentation video in youtube below:

Our mission

Our mission is to help children and disabled in Zululand, with food, clothes, homes, care and education.

Our goal

Our goal is to help where we can, with what we have, as many as possible.

Team members

Thore Hopperstad

Thore Hopperstad

Founder and manager

Thore first came to South Africa in the beginning of 2011, after having planned for the re-establishing of the organization Barnehjelp Afrika (Child care Africa). He was in charge of the ltd company behind Barnehjelp Afrika until early 2013 and paid many visits to Zululand during those couple of years. After leaving the ltd company he founded the organization Children of Zululand and continued working in the fields of child care and general humanitarian work in the Zululand area.

Linda de Lange

Linda de Lange

Manager South Africa office

Linda is our precious everything locally in Zululand. She helps us with all we need help for, she is a great part of our visits in Zululand and she has become a personal friend to the founder and many of the contributors and delegates. Linda manages Zululand Home for the Aged (ZHA) in Eshowe and is a nurse by profession. She is the manager of our South Africa office and takes care of the sponsorship admin work in Zululand, distribution of supplies and much much more. Besides, she is a clever business woman and very good chef and baker and she spoils us when we are in South Africa.

Ola Hopperstad

Ola Hopperstad

Ambassador

Ola is the twin brother of the founder Thore and has become a major part of, and ambassador for, Children of Zululand. Since 2014 Ola has attended all official visits to South Africa and Zululand. He organizes funding locally and collects knit-work from local knitters. He also takes part in planning the safari and adventure travels.

Rune Maalsnes

Rune Maalsnes

Local representatives in Norway

Rune and his wife Hildur have been very dedicated to the organization and are huge ambassadors and local representatives. They have funded different projects and ahead of our trips, they have sponsored smiley shirts. They have also traveled with us to Zululand on one of our safari and adventure travels, together with their son, Terje.

Hildur Turvoll

Hildur Turvoll

Ambassador

Hildur and her husband Rune have been very dedicated to the organization and are huge ambassadors and local representatives. They have funded different projects and ahead of our trips, they have sponsored smiley shirts. They have also traveled with us to Zululand on one of our safari and adventure travels, together with their son, Terje.

Lindokuhle Nkosinamandla Khuzwayo

Lindokuhle Nkosinamandla Khuzwayo

Ambassador

Lindokuhle was a sponsored child of the founder of the organization Children of Zululand but over the years he has become a proud family member and son with two homes; one in Zululand and one in Norway. He works as a teacher at Hope Valley Farm School and he is studying part time to become a professional teacher. He is an important ambassador to Children of Zululand and he has also had multiple visits to Norway. At his last visit he attended primary school locally in Vik in Sogn where he gave a short introduction to Zululand, in full outfit. He is our guide, interpreter and cultural supervisor when we are in Zululand.

Liesel Britts

Liesel Britts

Nurse

Liesel works with Linda de Lange and is helping us with a lot of things, especially out in the rural areas. One of her accomplishments is to make the children at Siphezi primary school start to throw garbage in garbage cans, in stead of on the ground, to wash hands and to keep the class rooms clean. The school has made great progress in this regard.

Nicola Wight

Nicola Wight

Co-operator

Nicky and Brad are managing Hope Valley Farm School and they cooperate with Children of Zululand. We help them with financial support and supplies and we visit Hope Valley Farm School when we are in Zululand. Nicky and Brad are husband and wife and they have two children of their own, soon to be 3. They are dedicated to move to Eshowe and manage the orphanage in good time.

Terje Maalsnes

Terje Maalsnes

Ambassador

Terje is the son of Rune and Hildur and he joined us on one of our safari and adventure travels to South Africa. He was doing a lot of filming, also by drone and have made a nice short video from the trip. He has also contributed by telling about the trip to Teachers Union in Vik, "Utdanningsforbundet", at their annual meeting.

Anthony Singh

Anthony Singh

Driver

Anthony is our dedicated driver and has been so for years now. He is normally a taxi driver or airport driver in Durban, but when we are in Zululand, he takes vacation from work and joins us as our driver. He takes care of most things related to the car and car-hire. Anthony drives as a voluntary worker for Children of Zululand, but our delegates are so happy to have him on board that they tip him well.

Sven Olav Rosnes

Sven Olav Rosnes

Web admin

Sven Olav is our new web admin, who will update web pages and web shop, make corrections if errors and in general deal with dialogue from users and customers, related to the web page or web shop.

Rosa Hopperstad (1932-2020)

Rosa Hopperstad (1932-2020)

In loving memory of

The mother of founder Thore Hopperstad, Rosa Lilly Irene Hopperstad sadly passed away on July 6th, 2020, age 87. She was one of the proud knitters for Children of Zululand, but she was also a proud grand mother of the founders sponsored-son, Lindokuhle and she was an ambassador for the organization. Among many things she helped with, she recruited many knitters locally in her own home town, knitters that still contribute to the organization. In the photo she has visit from Lindokuhle, the son of the founder.

Board members

Thore Hopperstad

Thore Hopperstad

Founder and manager

Thore first came to South Africa in the beginning of 2011, after having planned for the re-establishing of the organization Barnehjelp Afrika (Child care Africa). He was in charge of the ltd company behind Barnehjelp Afrika until early 2013 and paid many visits to Zululand during those couple of years. After leaving the ltd company he founded the organization Children of Zululand and continued working in the fields of child care and general humanitarian work in the Zululand area.

Ola Hopperstad

Ola Hopperstad

Ambassador

Ola is the twin brother of the founder Thore and has become a major part of, and ambassador for, Children of Zululand. Since 2014 Ola has attended all official visits to South Africa and Zululand. He organizes funding locally and collects knit-work from local knitters. He also takes part in planning the safari and adventure travels.

Guri Hopperstad

Guri Hopperstad

Board member

Guri and Knut have joined in our travels two times. Guri is the sister of the founder and she is a member of the board of Children of Zululand.

  • NORWEGIAN ORGANIZATION

    The Children of Zululand Foundation has its background from the west coast of Norway. The contrast from the west coasts fjords and mountains and South Africa's oceans and fields, is huge! As much as the contrast between wealth and poverty!

  • EDUCATION

    The children are the future of the world, no matter where they were born. Education is a main key. We support and open doors for education, from kinder- gartens, through primary school and high school untill university. Join us!

    We always tell our youth in Zululand: Study hard - Be somebody!

  • Safari

    Safari as part of our trips will always be a highlight for most delegates, when going to Zululand. Regardless; what will stick with you forever after joining in on our trips are the meetings and interactions with the children. A memory that will stay with you for the rest of your life.

Our partners