By Ellie Hunja | Fundraising Coordinator
Growing Our Network and Strengthening Local Capacity in Johannesburg
As the US heads “Back to School,” we’re celebrating a milestone of our own in South Africa: one year of CHOSA’s Johannesburg Expansion!
Last autumn, we set out to bring CHOSA’s unique approach to community-based projects in Johannesburg. One year later, we’re seeing that vision take root in exciting ways! Through financial support, capacity-building, networking, and strategic partnerships, CHOSA continues to strengthen organizations that, together, are supporting 956 kids and teens in their communities.
DIGI Mindz in Meadowlands, Soweto has seen a sharp increase in participants after strong academic results prompted parents and local schools to recommend the program to other families. The project has adapted its schedule to prioritize academic support while continuing to offer computer literacy, coding, and robotics. The team improved its program space by repairing the structure, even involving children in painting and decorating.
In Alexandra, Loyo Stars FC continues to combine sports and education to support young people. Its after-school program provides students with academic support and a safe space, while community activities such as a clean-up at Queen of Peace Nursery strengthen young people’s sense of responsibility. They recently secured donations of stationery, cleaning supplies, soccer balls, and soccer jerseys, while one female player progressed to the UJ Regional League and one coach secured a school coaching position. These developments reflect the project’s growing opportunities for young people both on and off the field.
During Child Protection Week, CHOSA hosted a two-day Basic Counselling training for our partners, building on the Child Protection training held in March. The training gave our partners practical counselling skills to better support children facing difficult circumstances and create safe spaces where young people can be heard and supported.
One of our CHOSA partners in Cape Town also led a workshop on digital presence and AI tools, which our Johannesburg partners attended virtually. They learned practical ways that projects can use technology to strengthen their work, and we were grateful that our partners from both cities were able to network together, share knowledge, and build connections.
CHOSA also strengthened its connections across Johannesburg’s youth development sector. Nhlanhla represented CHOSA at Collaboration Junction, a networking event that brought together youth development organizations and sector stakeholders. Nhlanhla connected with organizations interested in joint initiatives and collective impact and began exploring fundraising partnerships.
CHOSA further contributed to national conversations about education by representing CHOSA at the National Education Summit 2026. Alongside education leaders, practitioners, policymakers, and other changemakers, CHOSA contributed to discussions about strengthening and transforming South Africa’s education system and participated in developing the Summit Declaration.
Expanding into Johannesburg was a bold step, and our incredible supporters have stood with us throughout the journey. Because of you, we’re able to bring hope to a whole new group of children - thank you!
Links:
Project reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.
If you donate to this project or have donated to this project, you can receive an email when this project posts a report. You can also subscribe for reports without donating.
Support this important cause by creating a personalized fundraising page.
Start a Fundraiser
