Our Stories

Inspired by the heart and spirit of Leanna Knopik, a young lady who touched many lives.

“I want to volunteer in Africa. I’ve never been so sure of something in my whole life.” – Excerpt from Leanna’s diary.

About Leanna Knopik

Leanna’s time on Earth was brief. At the age of 16, she passed away suddenly after contracting a rare heart infection. Despite her lost battle, she fought exceptionally hard during her final days, surprising even her physicians.

But Leanna’s heart always guided her path in life. She was very passionate about her faith and loved helping others throughout her community and beyond. A family trip to South Africa was a life-changing experience for her. She felt a sincere connection to the South African people and wanted to work as a missionary, helping children in schools and orphanages.

Leanna’s loving friends and family often remember her as “all heart.”

The All Heart Fund

Leanna never had the chance to volunteer in Africa, so in the spirit of her heart’s wishes, the All Heart Fund has been created to provide the resources and education necessary to enhance the lives of rural African families.

The All Heart Fund is a fundraising arm of the award-winning South African-based nonprofit, Good Work Foundation (GWF). Its purpose is to raise funds that create high-impact digital learning experiences for Africans living in rural areas, delivering skills that enable them to interact meaningfully with a digital world.

GWF operates four digital learning campuses in rural South Africa to date – including the Justicia Digital Learning Campus which was funded in large part by the All Heart Fund – and provides digital and English literacy training to over 5000 adults and children per week.

The All Heart Fund also creates opportunities for students to travel to larger communities and cities for unique educational and leadership experiences and to connect with real-life businesses. In addition, one special student is chosen to receive the Leanna Knopik Cup, an annual award which honors the student who demonstrates the biggest “heart”.

To donate to the All Heart Fund

To make donation to the All Heart Fund in memory of Leanna, select “In memory of…” on our donation page 

Find out more about Good Work Foundation

To find out more about Good Work Foundation’s mission to improve digital literacy in rural African areas, watch this short video explaining the unique digital learning campus model. You can also stay up-to-date on GWF’s progress by following their Facebook page.

Above: Schoolchildren attend the Open Learning Academy at Justicia Digital Learning Campus (JDLC). The campus, funded in large part by the All Heart Fund, was opened in March 2016. Children from six rural schools benefit from the digital learning opportunities that the campus provides. An additional 60 young adults from Justicia village are enrolled in a one-year “work-ready” course, equipping them with the skills necessary to participate in the digital marketplace.

Paris Moeng is one of three recipients of the Leanna Knopik Cup. Having never used a computer before, Paris surprised the Hazyview Digital Learning Campus team by completing his Bridging Academy year in record time. Paris is now a qualified IT Support Engineer. Working from the campus where he studied, Paris provides IT support to employees from three major South African companies. A reality for Paris is that he is the sole caregiver for his infirm grandmother and moving to Johannesburg or another major urban center in search of learning or working would not have been possible. Paris always reminds us to think back to Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s question: “Who is looking after our young people?” Our young people shouldn’t have to urbanize. Paris certainly didn’t have the option, but that hasn’t stopped him!