“Cataract removal helped me to see clearly, I don’t need glasses anymore. Everything used to be so cloudy. I’m so happy I got it done.”
In IsiXhosa, Ikamva Labantu means “the future of our people”.
For over 60 years, we have supported young children, adults, and elders within Cape Town’s most vulnerable township communities, whom we believe are inseparable from the future of South Africa.
In 1963, a 21-year-old speech therapist, Helen Lieberman, ventured into Langa searching for a prematurely discharged patient who had undergone oral surgery. The deprivation and poverty she encountered shocked her, lighting a flame in her heart that drove a sixty-year-long calling to bring about meaningful change for these township communities.
Thirty years later, in 1992, Ikamva Labantu was launched as a non-governmental, non-profit organisation carrying Helen’s vision into the future.
Benefit from professionally trained principals, teachers, and preschools who are supported in becoming registered.
Are reached through our Afternoon Angels programme.
Are reached through senior clubs and home-based elderly care programmes.
“Cataract removal helped me to see clearly, I don’t need glasses anymore. Everything used to be so cloudy. I’m so happy I got it done.”
“Communiversity along with the staff from Ikamva Labantu have transformed me into a better human being, and I can’t help but recommend it to everyone else.”
“Ikamva Labantu has taught me multiple skills such as proper planning, organising and conducting activities to help children to develop a wide variety of skills including speech, reading, writing, physical development and social interaction. Today I have my own ECD centre and two practitioners who are working with me to build this dream. Thank you, Ikamva Labantu, you have changed my life.”
“Ikamva Labantu has brought warmth into my life. As an older person with no income, I sometimes have nothing at home, but here, I know I will not go hungry. Ikamva Labantu gives us care, kindness, and a sense of belonging. I come five days a week, and it has become a place of comfort and support.”
“What I enjoy most about my job is giving people hope in life, because hope is life, and hope leads to success. Without hope, it feels as though life is lost. Last year, a 14-year-old boy joined the programme. Since then, he has remained engaged, left gangsterism behind, stopped using drugs, and even returned to school. This is the power of hope, it changes lives.”
We maintain a continuous presence in several townships around Cape Town.
Our focus is to uplift these communities through various social support programmes.
Khayelitsha is among the largest South African townships and is well known for several social development challenges, including lack of access to healthcare and social services, high poverty, unemployment, crime, poor infrastructure and service delivery.
Established in 1958, Gugulethu is among Cape Town’s oldest township communities. Among various other challenges, such as health and safety, the people of Gugulethu lack access to reliable social development workers, often due to the prevalence of crime.
Today, Crossroads continues to grapple with the legacies of Apartheid, suffering from a severe lack of resources and development, which hinders social development.
Langa is one of Cape Town’s oldest townships. We have a historical connection there, having been involved in community support since the inception of Ikamva Labantu over six decades ago.
During apartheid, Philippi was a battleground in the armed struggle. Today, Philippi—historically called ‘Die Duine’ or ‘The Dune’— still faces poverty, unemployment, and overcrowding. This situation exacerbates the lack of social welfare and support available.
Many who have experienced Nyanga for themselves believe it is among the most unsafe townships in South Africa. Regardless, our mission is to reach the people of Nyanga who struggle to access basic human rights and essential social services.
Dunoon faces various socio-economic problems, from crime and a lack of police presence to poverty, unemployment, and a fundamental lack of funding for creches.
In the words of its residents, “Wesbank is like an island”, cut off from the broader economic and social flows of Cape Town. Unemployment, gangsterism, and substance abuse are all significant issues, highlighting the importance of our continued presence in the area.
Delft is often described as ‘ a place where ordinary people live in fear’. The community grapples with issues of high crime and unemployment, low school attendance rates, crumbling family structures and a lack of adequate social welfare systems.
Kalkfontein, like Delft, urgently needs support to ensure safety in its schools and childcare facilities. The area's high crime rate threatens the well-being and development of children and families, creating a hostile environment that stifles learning and growth.