Inclusive Community Empowerment:
A Case Study of the Alex Social Cohesion Project
Dr Matthew Cronje Department of Criminology
Context and Orientation
- Apartheid 1948-1990
- Separate development
- Racial segregation
- 1994 first democratic elections
- The significance of the Constitution (1996)
Democratic South Africa
- The role of NGO’s in actioning governmental mandates
- Challenges facing NGO’s in this regard
- Breaking down the silo’s
- Funding
- The need for networks
- Development and capacity building
- Quality assurance
Khulisa Social Solutions
Established in 1997, Khulisa Social Solutions is a non-profit organisation initially focused on crime prevention, offender rehabilitation, victim empowerment and restorative justice.
- Mission – To address social vulnerabilities and inequalities by providing support and developmental know-how through key partnerships for initiatives at a community level that quantifiably demonstrates social impact.
- Systemic interventions, sustainable livelihoods, strengthening NGOs and community-based organisations (CBOs) to render crucial services, catalyst, data generation processes to develop needs-based interventions, restorative justice and peace making.
- Ecological model and Theory of change
The Alex Social Cohesion Project
- Alexandra Township, Johannesburg, South Africa
- Established 1912
- Population approx. 700 000
- Size 6.91 km² (2.67 sq mi)
- Project initiated in July 2021 (peace-making and social cohesion programme)
- Aimed to empower the community members
- Social cohesion, peace making, restoration, volunteerism, and active citizenship
- Community dialogues (dialogue circles), training, capacity building, skills transfer, strength based approach (uBuntu)
- Common challenges faced in the community
- Unemployment
- High violent crime rate
- Shortage of decent housing
- Overcrowded and unsanitary conditions
- Poverty and inequality
- Community safety
- Lacks basic infrastructure and amenities, such as proper roads, schools, and clinics
- Environmental Health and Sanitation
- Mental health issues
Feedback in Numbers
- Khulisa trained 25 NGOs to facilitate dialogue circles between August 2022 and May 2023
- 90 separate dialogue circles with 875 participants
- 5000 community members reached
- 22 community meetings involving 237 community members
- 7 workshops with164 participants
- 10 project reports
In Closing….
- Capacity building of organisations
- Registering, funding, management, M&E, training
- Operational requirements
- Addressing needs must be viewed from a holistic approach as an interconnection, interdependence, and interrelated interaction between numerous factors
- Multidisciplinary, multi-stakeholder approach
- Partnerships between public, private, civil society and community structures
- Local capacities, resources and assets
- Sustainability
- Parallel processes
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 approximately 200 staff through 19 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 programmes 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
