53% of South
African youth are
unemployed
6 million South
African youth don’t have jobs
South Africa has
the HIGHEST youth
unemployment
rate in the world
It’s more than not going hungry.
It’s more than having a safe and warm home to sleep in.
It’s more than being able to buy shoes that fit.
Rampant youth unemployment destroys the fabric of society. It causes inequality, hopelessness and desperation; resulting in crime and poverty.
Money which could be going to developing infrastructure, improving healthcare and advancing education is spent on social grants.
Low levels of youth employment mean reduced productivity. Tax income shrinks, foreign investors withdraw, and the GDP stagnates, or even worse, contracts.
We founded Lulalab Foundation because we believe that when our people have dignity, they will be empowered to create a different destiny.
When we realized that most job creation initiatives exist as stand-alone ventures, we set about to accelerate transformation by looking at things differently.
We identify fresh solutions to pressing social problems and then create jobs for youth as we implement these solutions.
Communities get access to basic needs (like warm water), youth get market-related skills & an income; sparking a cycle of hope & productivity.
We’re here to meaningfully influence systemic, scalable and sustainable change on an individual, community and national level, so a bright future will emerge.
We locate innovative solutions to the country’s most pressing social needs like hygiene, sanitation, early education and more.
We recruit and train local youth to implement and maintain these projects in the community. They gain an income and valuable skills they can transfer into any market.
When communities have access to services like running water, healthcare, and safety, along with jobs for youth, they can thrive.
We’re committed to making sustainable change. We plan interventions that can empower youth for the long-term, and enable them to become self-sustaining & productive. We also monitor our impact long after the project is complete, so we can understand how the entire community was improved.
When you invest in a Lulalab project, you don’t get annual reports once the project is over. You can head over to the sophisticated live reporting platform at any time on how things are progressing. We don’t hide anything, so you get 100% transparency on what’s working and what can be improved.
We don’t design impressive plans on paper, with no relevance to the actual needs. Instead, we collaborate with local leaders, municipalities, and the private sector to design and implement our programmes. We source young people from the local community and rely on local insights to achieve results.
We’re fastidious about measurements so you know we’re using your money to its fullest potential. Our research arm uses rigorous statistical techniques to analyse data, interpret the findings, and recommend the next steps. Our investors’ money is too valuable for guesswork, so we make sure evidence backs up whatever we do.
We’re a founder-led organisation, which means that we exist because we care deeply about results. Integrity, viability and transparency drive our decision, so if we suggest an intervention, we’re ready to stand behind its potential and implementation.
Environmental sustainability is a key factor in the projects we take up. We look for green partners, so we can use efficient resources to improve lives, save money and benefit the environment. Our water project is one example of innovative green solutions to uniquely African challenges.