Enable integrated human development programme implementation.

The Lesedi and Letsatsi Trusts offer a unique and exciting opportunity for bringing together systemic and long-term interventions that could significantly tap into South Africa’s potential in communities over time. We know that a number of the right things need to work well, simultaneously, in order to achieve certain human development outcomes from early childhood development through to employment.

The place-based focus of this work presents a few interesting opportunities for us and our programme partners. Firstly, when we invest in a particular programme, we can choose to view it as an isolated intervention, or as one which fits within an ecosystem with linkages to other interventions. The option to approach things in silo, particularly when working in a specific community, is not feasible. Failing to consider linkages between programmes and other efforts in communities can result in many inefficiencies or even in competing programmes, whereas a systemic approach has the potential to accelerate efficacy across the system.

Secondly, our programmes need to contribute towards population-level impact. The requirements of the Lesedi and Letsatsi Trusts is that we invest in people living within a 50 km radius of the power company. For some, population-level impact might mean having to target universal access, for others it might be about closing an access gap, while for behavioural interventions, the population-level impact might be achieved through critical mass. Whatever the approach, we need to learn to make population-level shifts.

Lastly, we need to be cognisant of location. Because inequality is deeply spatial, we need to be aware of the inequality that exists between wards/neighbourhoods and intentionally target efforts in a way that aligns to need. Think of Sandton and Alexandra. Opportunities for better healthcare, education and even employment are concentrated in suburban islands while the majority of south africans are confined to townships that are, by design, seas of socio-economic deprivation. This is true in Lesedi and Letsatsi. There are wards that have no ECD centres and some that do; some have community centres, and others don’t.

five-year aim: