Timken funds Kids Haven STEM classroom

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First Quarter 2026 News & events

A bright new chapter in digital education has begun at Kids Haven with the official opening of a fully equipped STEM classroom at the Kids Haven Village. This exciting addition was generously donated by Timken South Africa, and expertly installed by Breadline Africa.

The STEM classroom has been created as a space where children of all ages can explore digital learning, including robotics, computers and technology-based problem solving. Its purpose is simple but powerful: to spark curiosity, ignite a love for learning, and open doors to future opportunities in science, technology and computing.

“We are deeply committed to not leaving any child out of the digital revolution,” said Sam Mokgopha, CEO of Kids Haven, who officially opened the classroom alongside Stanley Botopela, chair of the Kids Haven Board. Joining them was board member Treasure Meko, whose story inspired many on the day. Growing up in rural Zeerust, she used a computer for the first time in her first year at university and has since gone on to earn a doctorate in the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR).

Kids Haven expressed heartfelt gratitude to the Timken leadership team for their support, including Shaun Potgieter, general manager, Tanya Naude, HR manager and Lynda Krebs, marketing manager, whose shared vision helped make this project possible.

The STEM classroom will serve children living in care at Kids Haven and extend to children and young people from the surrounding community through the Teen Hub and Youth Hub programmes. Learning robotics is seen as a natural and exciting next step in building digital literacy and confidence. To ensure the sustainability of this project, Milton – a former Kids Haven child who matriculated here and then earned a Diploma in IT from the University of Johannesburg – will facilitate the STEM classes. He will make sure that children aged 8 to 18 receive structured classroom training in the STEM lab, helping them build essential skills for the future.

“We believe this may be one of the only children’s homes with a fully equipped STEM classroom of this kind,” Kids Haven shared. “We are incredibly excited about what will be learned and grown here – not only skills, but dreams and future possibilities.”

This warm partnership between Kids Haven, Timken South Africa and Breadline Africa stands as a powerful reminder of what can happen when organisations come together with one shared goal: giving every child the chance to learn, grow and thrive in a digital world.

To find out how your company can also make a difference visit www.kidshaven.co.za

For more information contact Lynda Krebs, Timken SA, +27 11 741 3877, [email protected], www.timken.com

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Timken funds Kids Haven STEM classroom

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