South African NPO Scoops a Prestigious International Award

23 January 2023, Johannesburg – Khulisa Social Solutions, a non-profit organisation (NPO) with over 25 years of empowering underprivileged South Africans to unlock their potential, has won the prominent Corporate LiveWire ‘Youth Support NPO of the Year’ award for 2022/2023.

According to Lesley Ann van Selm, Managing Director of Khulisa, “This recognition demonstrates the impact that Khulisa has had on South Africans since its inception, and is a tremendous icebreaker for the amazing work that we are excited to continue in 2023.”

Last year, Khulisa was selected as a finalist under the International Peace Awards category for the best work in addressing poverty and homelessness, peace-making interventions, and youth empowerment interventions in marginalised communities.

Khulisa’s flagship projects include:

  • The Sustainable livelihood Programmes, focused on communities in North West and Limpopo provinces. Khulisa launched this programme to implement self-sufficing systems to improve the overall quality of life in these communities.
  • Launch of Resilient Youth in Stressed Environments (RYSE) song to better communicate findings of the five-year multinational research that investigated youth resilience in communities involved in oil and gas production and communities impacted by climate change in South Africa, with a particular focus on Secunda and eMbalenhle in Mpumalanga. 
  • Application of the ecological model of violence to understand gender-based violence, this research was undertaken through a partnership with the seasoned research psychologist, Sheri Errington who is a research associate at the University of Johannesburg’s Centre for Social Development.
  • The Alexandra Youth Entrepreneurial Summit, this summit was made possible by a partnership with the Greater Alexandra Chamber of Commerce, Qalisa Hub, 243 Pro-network, Ubuntu Business, and TuksNovation. 
  • The criminal expungement clinics, which will continue later in 2023 following the overwhelming response received in November 2022.
  • The Alexandra Peace-Making Project, which was a direct response to civil unrest including the looting and violence that took place in 2020, has resulted in 35 community peacemakers trained to deal with conflicts in the township.
  • The notable Streetscapes Project, this project has been offering long-term community-based rehabilitation that uniquely combines housing, work-based rehabilitation, and the necessary psychosocial support in the Western Cape for over seven years.

Khulisa contended with 30,000 other nominees who were submitted from over 30 countries across the globe. Furthermore, a judging panel comprised of entrepreneurs, legal professionals, and consultants carefully appraised and selected the winners across various award categories. 

“We would like to dedicate this award and our other recent recognitions to our stakeholders including other fellow not-for-profit organisations, community members, our funders, and partners,” concludes van Selm.

About us

Khulisa Social Solutions is a non-profit company that helps vulnerable children, youth and communities unlock their potential and develop skills toward a sustainable future.

It operates nationally, employs over 180 staff through 16 offices, and works in approximately 150 communities in collaboration with 350 NGO partners, impacting the lives of close to 200,000 people per annum.

Khulisa partners with national and local government departments, schools, correctional facilities, community leaders, corporates, thought leaders, academic institutions, and private companies. Khulisa’s internationally acclaimed and locally rewarded best practice programs deliver positive and measurable impact with the main focus on youth and community development.

For more information, contact

Lesley Ann Van Selm | 082 601 2299 | lesleyann@khulisa.org.za  | media@khulisa.org.za 

www.khulisa.org.za