Living Legends was founded in 2010 as a project in conjunction with the Frederik Van Zyl Slabbert Institute for Student Leadership Development at the University of Stellenbosch and registered as a non-profit organisation in 2013.

Living Legends was started by a group of dedicated professionals, with the belief that their combined skill and resources could make a meaningful difference to the lives of children in South Africa. The institute intended to form a community interaction programme,but did not have the capacity to facilitate the programme. Subsequently to prior interaction, the Frederik Van Zyl Slabbert Institute came to learn of the project idea of Dr. Debbie Human van Eck and Le Roux Conradie, and saw the opportunity to collaborate.

The institute provided the start-up funds and resources necessary to bring the project to fruition. At the outset everyone involved in the project were volunteer students from the University of Stellenbosch. The project model focused on life skills development in conjunction with various sport and physical movement activities. Due to rapid growth, the project was registered as a non-profit organisation in 2013.

The project started with 100 children, with the goal of adding 100 children each year thereafter. By 2016, the Living Legends project was projected to facilitate 600 children but had grown to accommodate a staggering 10 000 children from various schools.

The founding directors are Dr. Debbie Human van Eck and Le Roux Conradie. Cobus Potgieter joined the board in 2013 and Liesl Cronje became a board member in 2020. The organisation has a proven track record, having served over 18 000 children over the past 10 years. The organisation’s extensive experience has resulted into a refined school programme, an efficient resource management system, a comprehensive financial management system and well-developed reporting practices.

Our vision is to provide South African children the opportunity to discover their own passions and to pursue a happy and productive life. This vision is brought to action through the Living Legends School Programme that is presented to learners in under-served schools.

The purpose of our organisation is therefore to reach as many children as possible through our programme. The diverse content of the programme is aimed at expanding children’s knowledge and understanding of themselves and the world around them.

The Living Legends School Programme is based on a set of beliefs that are intrinsic to the learning design and interaction we have with children. These beliefs guide all Living Legends development interventions. During all interventions both physical education (healthy body) and life skills (healthy mind) are addressed.