Cotlands

Cotlands is a 76 year old non-profit community development organisation serving orphans and vulnerable children between the ages of birth and nine, as well as their families.

Cotlands was born in 1936 when Matron Dorothy Reece, a nurse from the United States doing missionary work in South Africa, founded an abandoned baby on her doorstep.  Over the years the organisation underwent many changes, but always retained caring for young children as its primary goal.  From historical roots as a baby sanctuary, Cotlands initiated its community based programmes in 1999, primarily focusing on HIV and nutrition, and later adding psychosocial and educational support to the programmes.

Today, Cotlands operates in five provinces across South Africa, working to develop community-driven interventions.  Toy libraries support the implementation of early learning groups, which also offer health and psychosocial support.

Looking forward as an organisation, Cotlands recognizes that by working with our communities as well as private and government sectors, we can access key early leaning and development gaps that give children the opportunity to not only survive but thrive into adulthood.