It started with one child, one struggle and one mother who refused to give up. Today, Rising Stars stands as a safe haven for dozens of children whose futures are brighter because one woman decided to make a plan.
Lawley, South Africa (04 December 2025) – There are moments in this work where the “good things” feel almost too big for the camera to capture. This week’s conversation with Rising Stars founder, Linna Ndlovu, was one of those moments… a story rooted in motherhood, community, and a young man whose journey reminded South Africa what kindness can do.
On this week’s episode of Good Things with Brent Lindeque, I got to chat with Linna Ndlovu, the founder of Rising Stars ECD Centre, and within moments, it became clear why this work is more than a job to her. Her passion fills every corner of the room. Her kindness is lived. And her heart is enormous.
She started the centre because mothers in her community desperately needed a safe place for their children. They wanted to finish school. They needed to return to work. They needed someone they trusted.
Linna became that someone.
But the roots of Rising Stars stretch far deeper… all the way back to her son.
Many Good Things Guy readers will remember Bryan Ndlovu, a young man living with Chronic Lung Disease whose story touched the nation during Stage 6 load shedding in 2023.
It began when I shared a post asking South Africans to be softer with one another, to hold onto kindness even when the world felt unkind. Load shedding had pushed parts of the country into darkness for 11.5 hours at a time, leaving people anxious, exhausted and trying to make impossible plans.
A comment appeared under the post.
It was from Bryan.
He shared that he had to book himself into hospital, not because he was sick, but because he needed power. His oxygen cylinders couldn’t last through the outage.
“Imagine I’ve to book myself into a hospital bed, just because I don’t have enough oxygen cylinder to last me that long, while I wait for loadshedding to end.”
This was a young man who had battled Chronic Lung Disease since 13, survived a life-changing kidney infection at 21, and by 23 relied on oxygen around the clock. Yet here he was, inspiring strength and reminding us all why kindness matters.
With his permission, I shared his story online… and South Africa responded. Hundreds of messages poured in. Strangers sent hope, encouragement and love. And then came someone who asked to remain anonymous.
A complete stranger.
A woman who read his story and decided that kindness should not stop at words.
“We can’t be praying for miracles in our own lives if we refuse to be the miracle in someone else’s when the opportunity presents itself.”
The inverter changed everything. It meant fewer hospital trips. More mobility. More freedom. And for the first time in a long time… it meant he could breathe without fear.
When he received it, he cried.
“I have never felt so much love from a stranger. Thank you so much.”
That day, South Africans lifted one young man out of darkness… literally and figuratively. And it is impossible to understand Rising Stars ECD Centre without understanding him.
Because Bryan is Linna’s son.
And every child she cares for is held with the same love she used to keep him alive.
Rising Stars ECD Centre (NPO 146-641) in Lawley Ext 2 has been supporting its community since 2010. It officially registered in 2014, but its true start was humble: mothers knocking on Linna’s door, asking her to help look after their babies so they could rebuild their own lives.
At the time, Linna was unemployed, caring for Bryan full-time, making plans between oxygen machines, doctor’s visits, and uncertainty. Yet she somehow found space to help others and soon, her living room became the safest place in the neighbourhood.
Five children became ten.
Ten became twenty.
Twenty became over fifty.
Inspectors eventually required proper infrastructure, so she fundraised, persuaded, begged and built… brick by brick, hope by hope.
Today, the centre urgently needed repairs before the rainy season begins but the love inside those walls hasn’t wavered for a moment.
The community nominated Rising Stars for this podcast episode. Neighbours, parents, teachers… people who’ve watched Linna show up day after day, no matter how hard life became. They wanted her story told. They wanted her celebrated. They wanted someone to acknowledge the difference she’s made.
And so we did.
This conversation forms part of the Budget Insurance x Good Things Guy partnership, created to shine a spotlight on the unsung heroes you’ve nominated, the helpers who quietly keep South Africa going. Budget Insurance believes in backing those helpers. They offer simple, affordable cover that protects what matters, and they partnered with us because they understand something important:
With Budget, good things come to good South Africans.
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