About
Survive to Thrive was founded in Belgium in January 2026. It’s founder Elin Petronella (hi, that’s me!) carried the idea in her heart for a decade longer than she’d like to admit.
She’s an artist, a writer, and a mother of 2 who spent her late teens and early twenties deeply involved in development work. But for years she told herself the timing wasn't right. Until she stopped waiting and instead asked the only question that matters: if not now, when?
What we do
Survive to Thrive exists to help communities move from surviving to thriving using arts, creative education, and the power of self-expression as the vehicle for lasting change.
We work by finding and resourcing passionate, skilled local leaders already embedded in their communities. People who have been showing up for years, often without support or recognition. We bring structure, funding access, and international reach to visions that already exist on the ground.
Our first project — the FLOW Project in Mbazwana, KwaZulu-Natal — brings weekly creative arts workshops to 460 children across two schools in one of South Africa's most underserved rural areas.
Founder; Elin Petronella
I'm Belgian-based, originally Swedish, and I've spent the last decade building a creative practice around embroidery, writing, and education. Survive to Thrive is where all of that meets something bigger than me.
I believe creativity is not a luxury. It is how human beings process their lives, find their dignity, and imagine something different for themselves.
Every child deserves access to that.