Organisation

Khulisa Social Solutions, an international non-profit organisation established in 1997, employs over 250 staff and operates 26 offices around South Africa with a current and increasing annual budget equivalent to approximately US$7million.

We work with a variety of role-players including governments, foundations, NGOs and businesses to maximise initiatives and processes that transform fragile and vulnerable communities.
During our last financial year, we reached in excess of 300,000 people through 250+ national capacity-building projects, which range from, for example, violence reduction in schools to restorative justice programmes for ex-offenders who were previously on death row.
Our proven, award-winning programmes provide the intellectual, moral and emotional development that is absent in the lives of many. These interventions effectively break the cycle of violence and crime and result in reinvented individuals becoming part of a ‘pay-it-forward’ social enterprise or community development initiative. Local leadership thus emerges as a valuable and necessary resource in local transformation.
Khulisa has evolved beyond appealing to altruism through demonstrating by our systemic approach to service delivery how all stakeholders/investors can play a part, make a difference and ultimately benefit from their involvement.  It is our intention to influence business practices, building corporate, business and philanthropic relationships and develop earned-income ventures.

The CEO and Founder of Khulisa, Lesley Ann van Selm, has been an Ashoka Fellow for 9 years and both she and the organisation have won multiple awards in the area of community development and social enterprise.  She won South Africa’s current Woman of the Year in this category.

The majority of Khulisa’s funding in SA comes from government departments such as Social Development, Justice, Education and Health.  International donors include the European Union, the Danish, Finnish, American and British governments, the Open Society Foundation, UNODC and USAID.  Local companies within SA supporting Khulisa include: AngloAmerican, Harmony Gold, Goldfields, BHP Billiton, Liberty Life, Investec Bank, Carlson Wagonlit, DHL…to mention just a few.

Khulisa’s services are broken down into 3 inter-connected business units that focus on: crime prevention and access to justice (Unit 1), community and leadership development (Unit 2) and business skills and enterprise development (Unit 3). By targeting all three areas, Khulisa reinforces behaviour change, primarily by the youth, with opportunities for self-reliance, sustainability and an improved community environment.

The entry point to all Khulisa’s programmes is restoration, focusing initially on introducing therapeutic and scientifically measured personal development programmes that have been adapted to suit a wide variety of needs for vulnerable audiences, including those at risk and in conflict with the law.  Personal development leads to a number of restorative processes, introduced in community settings through multiple interventions, working on a collaborative basis, including but not limited to restorative justice, community outreach programmes, a variety of developmental programmes, the development of leadership and entrepreneurs.  Graduates from Khulisa’s programmes who have demonstrated the relevant aptitude are assisted in setting up their micro-enterprise opportunities, which are researched and developed in partnership with Khulisa or other NGOs specialising in this particular field.

Through Khulisa’s internationally acclaimed and locally awarded best practice model in the area of restorative justice, we are now working in close partnership with the Department of Justice and the National Prosecuting Authority in developing policies linked specifically to restorative justice, a philosophy which has now been embraced by multiple government departments as part of the restorative justice policy recently launched in SA.  As the forerunners in this particular service we are the first to pioneer the establishment of mediation centres in rural, peri-urban and urban settings throughout KwaZulu-Natal, in partnership with local courts and probation officers.

The scientific measurement tools integrated into our delivery mechanisms allow us to profile communities, assess attitudinal shifts, individual development, victim satisfaction, as well as the effect that our various processes have had on recidivism. In this regard we have linked up with multiple local and international research agents.

CREDENTIALS, IMPACT AND MAKING A DIFFERENCE

Credentials - Khulisa Social Solutions (formerly Khulisa Crime Prevention Initiative) is a South African non-profit organisation, launched in 1997. We deliver services nationwide, partnering with national and local government departments, schools and correctional facilities, community leaders, diverse thought-leaders, academic institutions, corporations and NGOs.
Khulisa continues to receive numerous awards from government; five of our programmes have been singled out as ‘best-practice models’. We are recognised internationally for producing remarkable results through our “Silence the Violence’” programme also hailed as a best practice by the United National Development Programme.
Measurable Impact - Our programmes are designed to ensure both positive and measurable impact on levels of crime and violence, enhanced capacity building and self-sustainability. While more than 80% of South African offenders re-offend within a year, recidivism amongst graduates of Khulisa’s programmes whose progress we monitor is less than 20%. This represents an important contribution to reducing both human and financial costs associated with crime.
Making a Difference - School, police, justice, prison authorities and social development agencies alongside youth leaders consistently report greatly improved behaviour and positive social transformation where Khulisa’s programmes are operating. Young people acquire effective leadership, communication, conflict-resolution and entrepreneurial skills while learning practical ways to apply them. Vulnerable groups learn innovation and thinking skills that enable them to become self-sufficient while benefiting their communities.
Scope and Reach: Local, National and International Khulisa Social Solutions delivers services to vulnerable communities throughout South Africa, in parts of the UK and increasingly in a number of African and Indian Ocean countries.
A Common Touch - The Social Transformation System (STS) model is integrated within all our interventions and is designed to encourage community members to collaborate in designing solutions to complex problems while identifying indicators of success. The agreed plan of action is geared to support initiatives to effect meaningful and measurable social change
Monitoring & Evaluation - Our M&E systems are able to demonstrate priority areas of need and opportunity within specific community contexts (financial, pro-bono or in-kind support). Contributions are aligned to needs, donors strategies and priorities ensuring maximum impact and return on investment. All contributions are meaningful and are directed towards reinventing lives. Qualitative and quantitative feedback is easily and effectively integrated into donor reporting requirements.

business Units

Khulisa Social Solutions has 3-core business units designed to work synergistically to contribute to our shared vision of a productive, happy, crime free society. Business units include:
• Crime Prevention, Access to Justice and Peace-Making - Applies a holistic approach to victim empowerment, crime prevention and access to justice. In addition to advising policy direction at senior government level, we provide whole-system interventions, facilitation, mentoring, program development, workshops and project management. In this unit, we have researched, developed and popularised our internationally acclaimed Justice and Restoration Programme (JARP) www.jarp.co.za.
• Community and Leadership Development - Community support, collaboration and crosscutting interventions that promote safer communities with enhanced opportunities. Our holistic approach promotes increasing possibilities for healthy, sustainable livelihoods in the communities we serve.
• Social Enterprise and Business Development - provides abundant opportunities for corporates to invest in a sustainable approach to CSI, skills development and B-BBEE. We create marketing support for products and services created by re-invented lives and communities. The menu of services offered by our local offices in collaboration with fellow NGOs include: Enterprise Development assistance, CSI guidance, Social Development, Programme Development and Training, Corporate Programmes, Project Management, Relationship and Development Broking, Corporate Indigenous Experiences, Accredited skills development programs and work experience/learnership opportunities, business Mentoring and Incubation.

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We have forged partnerships with local and international NGOs as well as with government departments including Correctional Services, Education, Foreign Affairs, Health, Justice, Social Development, Community Safety, Housing and Labour.

Khulisa Social Solutions is accredited with ETDP SETA – accreditation number ETDP 10299