About us
A movement for identity, confidence and leadership.
We are a women-led non-profit organisation working across South Africa to restore identity, build confidence and cultivate leadership among young women aged 13–26.
Our purpose
We exist so that no young woman has to guess her own worth.
Too many young women arrive at adulthood having been told what they are not. Our work is to interrupt that — not with a slogan, but with people who stay.
I AM A QUEEN was established in 2025 and registered as a non-profit organisation, NPO 320-199. We began with a handful of young women meeting in borrowed rooms. Today 102 young women aged 13 to 26 walk with us through four programmes, and our outreach work reaches families in communities across South Africa.
We are not a large organisation and we are not trying to become one quickly. We would rather be the organisation that knows every member's name, subjects and ambitions than the one with the most impressive annual figure.
What we do
We walk alongside young women aged 13–26 with mentorship, leadership development and practical community support — so that every one of them recognises her value and lives her purpose.
Where we are going
A South Africa in which a young woman's confidence, opportunities and sense of self are not decided by the postcode she was born into.
How we get there
Long relationships over short interventions. Programmes designed and delivered by women from the same communities. Resources given directly, quietly and with dignity.
Our guiding philosophy
“If she wants to be treated like a queen, she must first treat herself as one.”
It is a demanding idea, and we mean it as one. Self-respect is not something we can hand a young woman; it is something she builds. Our job is to make sure she is never doing that alone, and never without evidence that she is worth the effort.
Women-led
Founded by women. Governed by women. Run by women.
This is a structural commitment, not a coincidence of who volunteered. Every programme in this organisation is designed and led by women, and a majority of them come from the same communities as the young women in our circles.
It matters for a practical reason. A mentor who has actually walked the road — who knows what it costs to get to a 7am class from a household where nobody has done it before — gives advice that survives contact with real life.
It also matters for a symbolic one. When a fifteen-year-old looks at the front of the room and sees a woman who grew up as she is growing up, the question changes from could someone like me? to how do I start?
- A women-only leadership and governance structure
- Mentors drawn from the communities we serve
- Members progressing into mentor and facilitator roles
What we hold to
Six values, and what they cost us
Values are only real when they make certain decisions harder. These do.
Dignity
Nobody performs their need to receive support. It means we sometimes give without the photograph that would have helped us fundraise.
Consistency
We ask mentors for a full year. It means turning away willing volunteers who can only give us a weekend.
Honesty
We publish what has not worked. It means our reporting is less flattering than it could be.
Proximity
Decisions are made by people who know the members personally. It means we grow more slowly than funding alone would allow.
Access
Every programme is free to every young woman, always. It means we carry the full cost of the work ourselves.
Handover
Leadership is meant to move. It means training our members to replace us, and stepping back when they are ready.
Where we work
Communities across South Africa.
We are not tied to one township, city or province. Our members join from communities across South Africa, and our outreach programme goes where the need is identified and where a local partner can help us return.
Crowned Sessions and Queen Circles both run online — Circles every Sunday at 17:00 — which means a young woman in a rural district has the same access to teaching, mentors and a peer group as one in a metro. Only the Leadership Camp, our members’ gatherings and our outreaches happen in person, hosted by schools, community organisations and partners who open their doors to us.
Returning matters more to us than reaching. We would rather serve five communities four times each than twenty communities once.
Bring us to your community
Our story so far
A short history, honestly told
We are one year old. This is everything that has happened.
The organisation is founded
A group of women begin meeting with young women in their communities, without funding, premises or a formal structure — simply a conviction that consistent presence changes outcomes.
Registered as a non-profit organisation
I AM A QUEEN Organisation is formally registered under NPO 320-199, establishing the governance and financial accountability required to accept and account for partner funding.
The four programmes take shape
The Queen Leadership Camp, The Giving Hand, Crowned Sessions and Queen Circles are designed as one continuous pathway rather than four separate offerings.
First outreaches and gatherings
Four community outreaches deliver sanitary products, school supplies and essential resources. Two national gatherings bring members together in person for the first time.
102 young women, and a decision about pace
Membership reaches 102. We choose to hold intake steady while we deepen mentor training and formalise how we measure what actually changes for a young woman over a year.
Governance
Registered, accountable and small enough to check.
We are a registered South African non-profit organisation. Partners and donors are entitled to know exactly where their support goes, and we would rather answer that question before it is asked.
There is room for you in this.
Whether you are a young woman looking for a circle, a professional with an hour on a Sunday, or an organisation looking for a partner worth backing.