Hand in Hand Southern Africa

16/06/2026

𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔 - 𝐂𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞

Today, we honour the courage, resilience, and determination of the young people who continue to shape the future of South Africa and the African continent.

Youth Day reminds us that young people are not only the leaders of tomorrow but the changemakers of today. Through their innovation, passion, and unwavering hope, they are building stronger communities, creating opportunities, and driving meaningful change.

At Hand in Hand Southern Africa, we believe in empowering young people with the skills, knowledge, and opportunities they need to thrive. Every young entrepreneur supported, every young person trained, and every dream nurtured brings us one step closer to a more inclusive and prosperous future.

As we commemorate this important day, let us continue investing in our youth, listening to their voices, and creating pathways for them to reach their full potential.

✨ To the youth of Southern Africa: Your dreams matter. Your voice matters. Your future matters. Keep rising, keep believing, and keep leading the way.

01/06/2026

🌍✨ 𝐂𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐞 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐧 𝐀𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚'𝐬 𝐅𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 ✨🌍

This Youth Month, Hand in Hand Southern Africa proudly celebrates the resilience, creativity, courage, and potential of the young people who are shaping the future of our nation and our region.

Across our communities, we witness young people overcoming challenges, pursuing opportunities, creating businesses, supporting their families, and becoming agents of positive change. Their determination inspires us every day and strengthens our belief that investing in youth is investing in a brighter, more inclusive future for all.

At Hand in Hand Southern Africa, young people are at the heart of many of our programmes because we believe they are not just the leaders of tomorrow, they are the changemakers of today. When youth are empowered with skills, opportunities, mentorship, and support, they can transform their own lives and uplift entire communities.

As we commemorate Youth Month, we honour the sacrifices of the young people who fought for freedom and equality, while recommitting ourselves to creating pathways for the next generation to thrive.

To every young person across Southern Africa: your voice matters, your dreams matter, and your future matters. Continue to dream boldly, lead courageously, and believe in the power you hold to create lasting change.

Together, we are building a future driven by hope, opportunity, and the limitless potential of our youth.

29/05/2026

𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐄𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩

This week, we had the privilege of facilitating a Green Entrepreneurship training session with Vutshela Athol Garden Cooperative. The cooperative is now legally registered and continues to grow its vision of producing organic vegetables for local communities, business centres in Thulamahashi and Acornhoek, as well as lodges within the Sabi Sands Game Reserve area.

Despite the challenges caused by heavy rain floods earlier this year, the group remains resilient and committed to rebuilding and strengthening their farming enterprise.

We are inspired by the group’s commitment to environmental stewardship, as they are already implementing methods such as mulching, drip irrigation, shade coverage, mixed crop farming, and rainwater harvesting. Together, we continue building sustainable livelihoods while protecting our environment for future generations.

05/05/2026

𝐄𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞: 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐀𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭 𝐆𝐁𝐕𝐅
From the 28th to the 30th of April, Hand in Hand Southern Africa hosted a powerful 3-day training workshop for our Bushbuckridge, Mpumalanga team. In partnership with POWA (People Opposing Women Abuse), our staff engaged in critical and thought-provoking sessions covering Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF), customary marriages and divorce, as well as human rights awareness and informed decision-making.

This training marks an important step in strengthening our team’s capacity to support and empower communities with the knowledge, tools, and confidence to address social challenges and promote dignity, equality, and justice. We are proud to collaborate with organisations like POWA in building a more informed and resilient society. Together, we continue to lay a strong foundation for sustainable change in the communities we serve.

24/04/2026

𝐁𝐞𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐬 : 𝐓𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐌𝐨𝐦'𝐬 𝐒𝐚𝐟𝐞 𝐇𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐦𝐞

Recently, the Hand In Hand team had the privilege of spending time in Soweto, capturing the powerful stories of resilience, courage, and hope from the incredible young mothers in the LIFSA Teen Moms Programme-an initiative of the Government of the Principality of Monaco, in partnership with The Alliance Française of Johannesburg and with the support of ILLIS.

From the warmth of their homes to the heart of their local community church, these brave women opened up about their journeys — the challenges they’ve faced, the strength they’ve discovered, and the dreams they continue to hold onto for themselves and their children. 💛

They shared how this programme has impacted them not just in one way, but holistically — offering support, guidance, and a renewed sense of purpose. Yet, their stories also remind us that there is still so much more to be done. Continued funding is essential to ensure that this life-changing work can reach and uplift even more young mothers.

We are honoured to have witnessed and documented these moments, and we can’t wait to share them with you.

🎥 Videos coming soon — stay tuned.

14/04/2026

This past Easter weekend was a time of connection, reflection, and meaningful moments with loved ones. As families came together to strengthen bonds and create lasting memories, our spirit of growth and empowerment continued.

In Mpumalanga, our Empower Women Entrepreneurs Programme wasted no time getting back into action! We are building strong networks, developing valuable skills, and creating sustainable opportunities that will shape a brighter, more prosperous future for the women we support.

Here’s to growth, resilience, and building a legacy that lasts a lifetime! 💼✨

26/03/2026

𝐒𝐄𝐃𝐅𝐀 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐬

It was an incredibly productive week across White City, Belfast, and Gottenburg as Hand in Hand Southern Africa joined forces with the Small Enterprise Development & Finance Agency - Sedfa within the Bushbuckridge Local Municipality.

This engagement played a vital role in strengthening community awareness regarding the various ways the South African government supports SMMEs ranging from
💰Grants and funding
🛠️Capacity building
⛓️‍💥Strategic linkages
📜and Compliance.

By focusing on helping local entrepreneurs grow and scale their businesses, the visit reaffirmed our shared vision of partnership and our commitment to serving the community more effectively.

Moving forward, we will be deepening our support efforts and facilitating targeted workshops to ensure that every entrepreneur/group has tools and formal support needed to build a resilient and inclusive local economy.

13/03/2026

13/03/2026

𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝐒𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐁𝐨𝐩𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠! 🏆⚽🏃

The energy at Molefi Oliphant High School was absolutely electric as we spent the day celebrating fitness, teamwork, and school pride during a recent unforgettable sports event.

From the first whistle to the final trophy, our learners showed incredible determination and sportsmanship. It wasn’t just about winning; it was about the unity between classes and the amazing support from parents and teachers who cheered from the sidelines! 📣
A massive thank you to our partners for making this possible: 🤝 Gauteng Department of Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation and 🤝 Vaal University of Technology.

Events like these remind us why it's so important to balance hard work in the classroom with activity on the field. We are so proud of every participant who gave it their all! 🌟

09/03/2026

𝐀 𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧! 🌍✨

We recently wrapped up an incredible visit from our friends at Hand in Hand Sweden ! It was a pleasure to welcome their CEO, Wiking David , and Programme Manager, Jason Vogt, to South Africa.

Our CEO, Lawrence Gadzikwa, kicked off the visit in Johannesburg with a series of insightful meetings between the HiH staff and the Board. But the real highlight was our trip to Mpumalanga! 🚗

There, the team spent time on the ground with our amazing Self-Help Groups and local business owners. Watching the exchange of ideas between our international partners and the local entrepreneurs was truly inspiring.

This visit reminded us all why we do what we do. We are more committed than ever to our partnership with HiH Sweden and our shared mission to create jobs and hope across the region. 🤝💡