On the BEE Trail: BEE Buddy Workshop with Gogos in South Africa

The purpose of this trip to Johannesburg went far beyond hosting a single workshop. It was an intentional outreach—to listen, to learn, and to build meaningful relationships with gogos, educators, and institutional partners.

The BEE Buddy Workshop in Alexandra Township, Johannesburg, marked an important milestone for Miss Dorothy’s Garden. It was the first time the BEE Attitudes were formally introduced in South Africa. It was not just a story to be read. It was a framework gogos could carry into schools and communities as part of their everyday work with children.

Facilitated in partnership with Romay Harding, Founder of Gogos Give Smiles, the workshop brought together gogos, educators, and community leaders who serve some of Johannesburg’s most vulnerable children. Together, we explored how Miss Dorothy’s Garden: 9 BEE Attitudes to Grow By could support children’s emotional resilience through kindness, consistency, and care.

At the close of the workshop, each participant received a BEE Buddy Ambassador Certificate and a photo marking their commitment to take the BEE Attitudes back into classrooms and community spaces. What unfolded in that room—quietly at first, then powerfully—confirmed that this work was not only understood, but deeply received.

Why We Were There: Preparing for a Sustainable Pilot

The purpose of this trip to Johannesburg went far beyond hosting a single workshop. It was an intentional outreach—to listen, to learn, and to build meaningful relationships with gogos, educators, and institutional partners. We were preparing to launch a sustainable pilot of Miss Dorothy’s Garden in South Africa in 2026.

During our time in Alexandra Township, we met with gogos, school leaders, and partners, including the City of Johannesburg Social Development Office, Region 5, to explore how the BEE Buddy model could be introduced in a way that is culturally relevant, operationally realistic, and built to last.

But this work didn’t begin in Johannesburg.

A Garden That Started at Home

Before boarding a plane to South Africa, I experienced a moment of quiet delight much closer to home. I was invited to read Miss Dorothy’s Garden to a preschool class in my own neighborhood—a school I’ve driven past for more than 15 years.

One of the children in that class is Autumn, a four-year-old whose Aunt had already purchased her very own copy of Miss Dorothy's Garden. So, she had already fallen in love with Miss Dorothy and her BEE helpers. Once I returned from South Africa, Autumn also received her own copy of Gogo Says, the book created with and for the gogos. They've been using it in Alex schools for the Gogos Read program. Now, Autumn is our very first BEE Buddy participating in a cross-cultural connection that spans neighborhoods, generations, and continents.

Seeing the glee on her little face demonstrated what I've been saying all along. Turning our neighborhoods into blooming gardens begins with one small seed that grows as we learn how to apply the BEE Attitudes to daily life. Autumn embodies the entire story of Miss Dorothy's Garden in that smile.

What the Pilot Will Look Like

The proposed pilot in South Africa will focus on 14 Early Childhood Development (ECD) centers and 2 schools, supporting gogos over a 9–10 month period as they visit classrooms and community spaces to introduce one BEE Attitude each month.

This slow, intentional cadence matters. It allows children to practice kindness as a habit—not a one-time lesson—while giving gogos the structure, time, and reinforcement needed to lead with confidence and consistency.

The pilot is designed to strengthen—not burden—the work gogos are already doing.

What the Pilot Includes

Based on the workshop framework, participating gogos and schools will be supported with:

• Miss Dorothy’s Garden: 9 BEE Attitudes to Grow By books

• BEE Buddy Boxes with a copy of the BEE Buddy Guide For Families

• Bookmarks, stickers, and localized additions

• T-shirts for facilitators

• A digital toolkit to support coordination, reporting, and connection

Each element is designed to reinforce the reading initiative and help gogos bring the BEE Attitudes to life in practical, age-appropriate ways—month-by-month, classroom-by-classroom.

What We Saw on the Ground

While in Alexandra, we toured five Early Childhood Development centers, many led by administrators who had attended the BEE Buddy Workshop earlier that week. What we witnessed was both humbling and inspiring.

Administrators, teachers, and gogos are working miracles with meager resources—teaching, caregiving, and often feeding children. Many gogos are also caring for their own grandchildren at home.

For this early-stage reading and kindness initiative to succeed, support must extend beyond books and workshops. Food, modest stipends for gogos, and basic materials are essential to ensure participation is dignified, consistent, and sustainable.

Growing With Care

The City of Johannesburg has expressed strong interest in expanding the program to reach all schools throughout the city—serving approximately 800 students in Alex alone. While this enthusiasm is deeply encouraging, our commitment is to grow responsibly.

We want to ensure that the pilot is fully resourced, well-supported, and measurable before expanding. Sustainable growth—not rapid scale—is what will allow Miss Dorothy’s Garden to take root and flourish over time.

From Autumn’s preschool classroom to the gogos of Alexandra Township, this work is proving something powerful: When kindness is planted with care, the garden grows everywhere.

How This Work Is Being Sustained

To support and expand this work, we’ve launched a Public, Private, Faith Initiative—a collaborative funding approach that invites individuals, businesses, foundations, and faith communities to invest in children’s mental health through kindness-centered programs.

This initiative allows Miss Dorothy’s Garden to grow sustainably across the U.S. and South Africa, ensuring that BEE Buddy Workshops, Ambassador training, and school-based programming are supported with care, accountability, and long-term vision.

We're looking for 100 Champions to fund this work.
Will you be 1 of the 100? Learn more or donate now at missdorothysgarden.com/100champions.

The gogos were so inspired by Dorothy Witherspoon's story, and being able to teach Alexandra children the BEE Attitudes, that they made up a song for her on the spot.