Phaphama Home of AVP/Community Tourism & Agroecology

09/10/2026

Preventing GBV doesn't start when violence happens.

It starts with the everyday choices we make - to listen, to respect, to believe survivors, to teach consent.

GBV prevention is not one person's job. It's all of us, every day.

What's ONE action YOU believe young people can take to prevent GBV in their community?

Drop it in the comments. Let's learn from each other.

24/09/2026

🇿🇦 Happy Heritage Day from Phaphama 🇿🇦

Today we celebrate who we are — our languages, our stories, our food, our music, our faith and our resilience.

At Phaphama, our heritage is our strength. It is in the way we show up for each other, the way we carry our elders' wisdom, and the way we keep building together.

We are different cultures, one heart. Re phela ka botho. We live through ubuntu.

May we never forget where we come from, as we build where we are going.

What heritage are you proudly celebrating today? Share your colours in the comments! 👇🏾

04/09/2026

We were born in a time of struggle.
Phaphama Initiatives started in the heart of SOWETO in 1990, out of the fight for human rights and equality. And that fight is not over. It has just changed shape.

Today, the fight is for dignity. For food. For healing. For jobs. For a future our children can stay for.

That’s why we call ourselves a social investment enterprise. We are not a charity that is reliant on donations. We are a self-sustaining nonprofit that invests in people, in land, and in community.

At Phaphama, we are proud to be the home of three initiatives that have the potential to change lives:

1. AVP - Alternatives to Violence Project
Before we can build communities, we must heal the people in them.
AVP creates safe spaces for people to unlearn violence and relearn how to listen, to choose peace, and to see each other’s humanity. In schools, in prisons, in neighbourhoods. Because peace is a skill you can practice.

2. Community Tourism
Tourists should not just pass through our streets. They should stay for a while, and their visit should benefit the people who live here.
Our community tourism experiences invite the world to sit at our tables, walk our history, and learn from our guides, our artists, and our grandmothers.
When you visit with us, your money goes directly to families in Soweto. Your visit becomes income, pride, and preservation of our stories.

3. Agroecology
You cannot be free on an empty stomach.
Agroecology is how we take back our food and our land. We teach seed saving, composting, indigenous farming, and growing food without poison.
It’s about food sovereignty. It’s about climate resilience. It’s about remembering that the soil and the people must heal together.

Why these three?
Because they are interconnected.
A traumatised community cannot farm well.
A hungry community cannot make peace.
A community with no economic options loses its young people.

At Phaphama Initiatives, we work where healing, food, and opportunity meet.
We don’t just talk about change. We train for it. We host it. We grow it.

We touch and change lives within our communities, in our country, and beyond. Not by doing for people, but by walking with them.

This is Phaphama. Rooted in Soweto. Growing hope.

Ke ya leboga to every facilitator, farmer, tourist, partner and community member who believes in this work with us.

We’re a social investment enterprise based in the heart of Soweto. Born out of the struggle and fight for human rights and equality.

25/08/2026

🌍 Cultural Exchange at Phaphama! 💃🏾

What a beautiful day we had hosting students from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) 🇺🇸🇿🇦

We shared our culture, our traditional attire, our songs and our stories. They shared their energy and joy with us. It was a day of laughter, dancing, learning and true connection.

Thank you to UNC Chapel Hill for visiting Phaphama and for celebrating our heritage with us. Siyabonga! Re a leboha!

19/08/2026

World Humanitarian Day is observed on 19 August in memory of the 22 people killed when a truck bomb struck the Canal Hotel in Baghdad in 2003. The United Nations General Assembly formally designated the day in 2009 to honour humanitarian workers around the world.

Today, SAPPIN honours South Africa’s parenting and family-support workforce. Many serve in communities affected by violence, instability and severe hardship, often working in places where their own safety cannot be taken for granted.

We recognise their courage, compassion and commitment to children and families—and thank them for the work they do every day.

11/08/2026

Serenading our visitors with his voice 🎶✨
The talent in our young people gives me so much hope. Watch how he commanded the room and left everyone smiling!
This is what hospitality looks like. ❤️

30/07/2026

When you visit us, you don’t just get a tour... you get a new South African name 🇿🇦

At our Community Based Tourism event, we gave our overseas visitors Venac names based on their personalities or their original name definition and taught them how to introduce themselves in Setswana, Sesotho, isiZulu, isiXhosa, Sepedi and more.

The result? Lots of laughter, tongue-twisters, and a whole lot of heart ❤️
Because tourism should be about connection, not just sightseeing.

Which name do you think suits them best? 👇🏾

24/07/2026

This hit me.
Violence prevention starts long before a crisis. It starts at the kitchen table, in the car, in bedtime stories.

Research shows it, and our communities feel it: positive parenting changes everything.
Grateful for organizations like putting this work front and center.

Let’s invest in parents. Let’s invest in children. Let’s invest in safer communities.

Violence prevention starts long before a crisis occurs. It begins in everyday moments between caregivers and children.

Research consistently shows that positive parenting can strengthen relationships, improve child wellbeing, and reduce the risk of violence in homes and communities.

When parents and caregivers are supported, children are more likely to feel safe, valued, and connected.

Investing in parenting is investing in safer communities.

17/07/2026

This is Ndumiso, a young brilliant boy from Emshukantambo High School in Pimville.
He’s a lover of life with a bright and destined future.
Watch him here serenading our overseas tourists with his beautiful voice. On point! 👏🏾
Let’s celebrate and support our young people. The future is in good hands

16/07/2026

Hosting our American guests reminded us that tourism is about connection. The day was filled with laughter, warmth, and interesting conversations as we shared our stories, traditions, and community pride