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About Us

Company background

Free To Grow was established in 1994 by Alinda Nortje, a former social and community worker, as a vehicle to bring personal empowerment to people in communities and organisations.
Initially we only had one programme: Free To Grow Lifeskills. Soon existing clients, who related to our inside-out approach and who were impressed with the impact of the programme, asked us to develop other programmes that would address their additional training needs. Our programme range gradually grew.

Our values

  • Nurturing:  People are the reason for Free To Grow’s existence. We care deeply for them, treat them with respect and empower and acknowledge them whenever and wherever we can.
  • Passion for quality: We set high standards for our people, our programmes, our processes and our service. We are never complacent and constantly look for ways to improve. We therefore embrace feedback.
  • Innovation: We thrive on finding creative, innovative and impactful [k1] ways to help people learn. We stay abreast of the latest international trends on learning, but do not merely copy what is done elsewhere. We excel in creating solutions that are relevant to the context in which we work.
  • Integrity:  We deal with people in an open, fair and honest manner and do our utmost to be reliable and trustworthy.
  • Sincerity:  We are open and real. We do not play games.
  • Sustainability: We are not focused on short term gains, but are committed to making a meaningful contribution that adds real value to our clients. We trust that this will help us grow in the long term.

Areas of operation

South Africa: We have resident facilitators in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban, Kimberley, Port Elizabeth, East London and Cape Town.
International:  Namibia, Botswana, Kenya, Zambia and Mauritius.

Feedback

"Thank you for the tremendous contribution that Free To Grow has made to my division, Exact! and also to The Foschini Group over past 15 years.

Free To Grow has provided training and development across many different levels, involving management, support staff and trainees and the impact has been life-changing for many participants.Your programmes are valued, respected and appreciated by all who have had the privilege to attend.

Your passion and determination to make a difference and touch the lives of all you interact with is evident in everything you do.  "
Melanie Kiley, Senior HR Manager, Exact!

“Service providers like Free To Grow are as rare as gold.”
Kirsty Holmes, Head: Staff Learning Centre, University of Cape Town

“Your service and commitment to excellence sets Free To Grow apart from all other organizations who offer similar products."
Albert Pillay MediClinic 

“Our experience of  Free To Grow may best be described as a journey with a partner that understands that our company’s destination is not to sell a product, but rather to empower and inspire a successful homeowner.”
Paul McHardy, CEO, SACS Solutions