Focus on the Family 10th Aniversary

More than ten years ago, Focus on the Family was opened in South Africa by Danie and Judy van den Heever, each step accompanied by much prayer. Between October 2002 and October 2003, we celebrated our tenth anniversary.

These are some of the milestones along the way:

• Focus On The Family was founded in 1977 by Dr James Dobson, a psychologist who served 14 years as an associate clinical professor of paediatrics at the University of Southern California and 17 years on the attending staff of the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles.
  
  
• Dr Dobson had observed the consequences of increasing pressures on the family and recognised that this struggling institution needed help. He started Focus On The Family from a two-room office in California, assisted by a part-time secretary with a rented typewriter.
  
  
• Since this humble beginning, Focus On The Family has grown into an international organisation with many different ministries, employing thousands of employees.
  
  
• Dr Dobson is recognised as America’s leading family expert and is the author of more than a dozen best selling books on family issues.
  
  
• Focus On The Family was founded on Christian ideals the loss of which, over the years, has lead to teen violence, substance abuse, the breakdown of the family, women and child abuse and countless other problems.
  
  
• Focus On the Family is a non-profit organisation that operates from the financial support of those who want to help re-awaken these values. Focus On The Family does not stockpile its financial resources. Instead, it invests these in its ongoing ministry.
  
  
• The first South African contact between Focus in the United States and its South African representatives took place in 1989. This marked the start of a relationship that continues to this day.
  
  
• Danie van den Heever, who helped set up Focus in South Africa knew that Dr Dobson’s literature was widely read in South Africa and wished to not only make this more available, but distribute it more widely in this region.
  
  
• Mid-1992 saw the opening of Focus on the Family Southern Africa in the centre of Durban. Danie van den Heever worked in a voluntary capacity, with a half-day secretary. Over the next few months, as the ministry reached out to hurting families, the team was increased to four, plus two volunteers. The main outreach was through radio broadcasts, which drew a good response.
  
  
• In early 1993, the ministry relocated to Hillcrest and 18 months later the move was made to the present premises in Old Main Road, Hillcrest.
  
  
• In mid-1997 Dr James and Mrs Shirley Dobson visited South Africa – a special event as Dr Dobson seldom found the time to visit Focus affiliate offices.
  
  
• January 1998 saw the opening of the present Bookroom in its prime position fronting onto the main road in Hillcrest.
  
  
• Just over a year later, through a donation to the ministry, a broadcast studio was added to the premises, to be used for producing Focus broadcasts with a South African flavour.
  
  
• 2001 saw the launch of the No Apologies outreach. Focus passionately believes that No Apologies is a life-saving programme that will help combat the AIDS crisis in Southern Africa. Funding has been received from both the public and private sectors.
  
  
• Since then two new programmes have been added to the Focus on the Family Southern Africa Outreach. Heritage Builders and the How to Drug Proof Your Kids are growing and being used to strengthen families in Southern Africa.
  
  
• The ministry has grown tremendously over the years– Focus On The Family now have over 30 employees and connect with over 20 000 people a month by telephone, mail, fax and email.