Liesl Orr lives in Johannesburg, South Africa with her teen daughter. She has used the Hand in Hand tools since her daughter was an infant, and credits Hand in Hand support and resources with enabling her family to thrive, and helping her to tackle the challenges of being a single parent.
“Hand in Hand brings the joy, fun and lightness back into parenting and it gives me the confidence and means to offer my love, presence and support to my child in tough times. The approach resonates perfectly with my passion for building a child-centered world, based upon respect and love for children. Most essentially, it gives parents and caregivers genuine backing and acceptance of exactly where we are. Combined with practical tools to face our own struggles as parents, this creates the possibility for us to offer our children the world we dream of.”
Liesl has worked as a researcher and educator/facilitator with progressive organizations and trade unions. She has a love for creative writing, telling stories, being in nature, free play and rough-housing.
Liesl is interested in all aspects of parenting, and also has a special interest in offering support to single parents, parents of teens and parents of children of mixed race/heritage. She is eager to explore ideas with parents on ways of raising powerful girls and compassionate boys. She is also committed to looking at how Hand in Hand may be used in schools.
Liesl is delighted to be able to offer Parenting by Connection classes in South Africa and is excited about building a community of parents and care givers who are passionate about creating connection and support for themselves and their families. You can connect with Liesl by email.