About Us

Hello and welcome to our Blog!

This site is intended to keep the world updated on the activities of our social enterprise; Khokela, and our partners, until our website proper is up and running. We hope you enjoy it. Please feel free to add comments and questions and please do spread the word about Khokela!

Team Khokela

Khokela:

Khokela (Which means 'To lead oneself' in the South African langauge of Xhosa) employs a small staff based in the UK, and is committed to sustainable change in society, UK and abroad. We work through building partnerships, acting as facilitators for people to approach each other as equals, gaining in understanding and finding mutual solutions to issues they are addressing.

In the UK, we are currently engaged in Liverpool, managing a business support and workforce development programme which aims to address the problem of 'worklessness' by improving access to employment for disadvantaged groups. We do this by engaging community networks and city businesses, helping each side develop their understanding of the other and then supporting the action plans that they create.

In South Africa, we are formalising a relationship with the Ikhaya Labantu centre in Langa, a township of Cape Town, providing administrative and organisational support as well as making short term trips to address immediate needs.

Ikhaya Labantu:

Ikhaya Labantu (Home of the People, in Xhosa), is a housing shelter and children's day centre run by a local woman and a long established team of staff. Between 85-100 children are served by the day centre on a daily basis, as well as numerous people who live in the hostel in the longer term. Those who can afford to pay for Ikhaya Labantu's services do so, and all proceeds go towards the welfare of the centre and the payment of teachers for the children.

Ikhaya Labantu has charity status in South Africa and is seeking funding support through local donor bodies, but it currently solely supported by generous friends in South Africa and the UK.