We believe communities can build stronger futures, together.
Who we are, where we fit, and how we work.
What is Sakhisizwe?
Sakhisizwe is a grassroots organisation that helps communities help themselves. We build with communities, not for them: helping them become self-sufficient, promoting active citizenship, and making sure people have a real say in what gets built where they live.
The name says it: sakha, we build, and isizwe, the nation. We build our communities, and in doing so we build our nation.
Communities that build their own future: townships that are safe, self-sufficient and heard, where people shape the decisions that affect their lives and share in the growth of their own economy.
To go into communities, listen to what people need, and work with them to build practical solutions. We carry each Kululeko project into the community, explain it plainly, and stay until the work is done.
What we believe
- 1
People know their communities
The answers are already there. Our job is to listen and bring people together.
- 2
Trust comes first
Nothing is put in place before a community has been consulted and has had its say.
- 3
Promises must be kept
We commit to less, and deliver everything we commit to.
- 4
Evidence should be used
What people tell us is shared back and acted on, not filed away.
Where we fit
Sakhisizwe is part of Kululeko NPC, a non-profit working to reduce inequality in South Africa by unlocking the township economy. That work starts with understanding what is holding a community back, and Sakhisizwe is the part of Kululeko on the ground finding out.
Kululeko NPC
Working to reduce inequality by unlocking the township economy.
Learn more at kululeko.org → (opens in a new tab)Sakhisizwe
The grassroots organisation. We go into communities, listen, and build solutions with the people who live there.
TAPP: community safety
Drones, cameras, gunshot detection and wearable panic devices, rolled out area by area. Sakhisizwe carries the programme into each community.
Learn more at tapp.org.za → (opens in a new tab)How we work
Engagement that goes nowhere is not the standard. Every conversation has to lead somewhere.
- 1
We go to people
Our team goes into communities in person, door to door and in the places people already gather.
- 2
We listen and gather evidence
We listen to people's stories and host dialogue circles, turning what we hear into real evidence of what a community needs.
- 3
We build solutions together
What the community identifies shapes what gets built, with people, not around them.
- 4
We stay and follow through
We come back, keep people updated, and see the work through. We are not passing through.
What we carry into communities
TAPP
Education and awareness on the drones, cameras, gunshot detection and panic devices in the area: what they do, what they do not do, and how to use them.
KasiWorks
Meeting people who are looking for work, adding them to the register with their consent, and helping them prepare a CV.
Project Weave
Dialogue circles and community research, developed with Khulisa Social Solutions, to understand what is holding a community back.
Our people on the ground
Local, trained and present
Our liaison officers come from the communities they serve. They lead engagement, run education sessions and keep in touch between visits.
Trusted voices in each area
Champions are residents who help us listen, explain and follow up. No qualification is needed, only the trust of the people around them. Become a champion.
We are not here with a plan for someone else's community. We are here to help a community build its own.
Join the Sakhisizwe network
Volunteer as a community champion, partner with us, bring your organisation into a community with the right introductions, or support the work directly. There is a place for you.