There’s a version of social impact work people like to talk about, the wins, the numbers, the milestones.

And then there’s the version people don’t see.

The slow conversations. The resistance. The moments where progress doesn’t look like progress at all.

In the latest SHIFT Magazine feature, Lesley Ann van Selm, founder of Khulisa Social Solutions, speaks from inside that reality,  not from the outside looking in.

Nearly three decades in, and the work has never really been about quick results.

It’s been about holding steady when systems push for speed.
About building credibility in spaces where leadership isn’t always recognised equally.
About choosing depth over visibility, even when visibility is what gets rewarded.

There’s a moment in her reflection where it becomes clear, the real challenge isn’t just the work itself, it’s everything around it.

Short funding cycles.
Pressure for immediate outcomes.
A constant pull toward what can be measured quickly, instead of what actually lasts.

And still, the work continues.

Not loudly. Not for recognition. But consistently.

You see it in the organisations that were once on the brink, now standing on their own.
In communities where conflict doesn’t spiral the way it used to.
In young people who move from being unheard to leading conversations.
In the quiet shift from reaction to prevention.

That’s the part that doesn’t always make it into reports.

But it’s the part that changes things.

This feature isn’t just about leadership.
It’s about what it costs to stay committed to meaningful change, and why that commitment still matters.