Our Work in Southern Africa

Uplifting Marginalized Communities

Since 2016, Palms for Life Fund (PFL) has worked alongside San communities in Southern Africa to help break cycles of poverty and marginalization. Our work reflects our deep commitment to human rights and dignity for most marginalised communities, worldwide.

In 2021, we launched a new Social Development Program in southern Africa, working with marginalized San and Nama communities. We are currently implementing our 2nd cycle of funding, 2024-2027. We now have operational country programs in Namibia, South Africa and Botswana, and emerging programs in Angola and Zimbabwe. Such ambitious programming is possible thanks to generous philanthropic contributions and an indefatigable commitment from our PFL teams at our New York headquarters and on the ground in Southern Africa.

Across all countries where we work, PFL has built, and continues to strengthen, local capacity. We collaborate closely with governments and trusted local partners who bring deep, context-specific expertise to every project.

This is how we grow a global network of like-minded changemakers— united in our mission to create lasting, community-driven impact.

Social Development Program Impact, as of 2025

These efforts are generating significant social change, benefiting more than 34,000 people in Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, and most recently, Angola and Zimbabwe.

Early Childhood Development

“Children’s brains are built, moment by moment, as they interact with their environments. In the first few years of life, more than one million neural connections are formed each second – a pace never repeated again. The quality of a child’s early experiences makes a critical difference as their brains develop, providing either strong or weak foundations for learning, health and behaviour throughout life”. -UNICEF (www.unicef.org)

An investment in ECD is an investment in a child’s future. As UNICEF emphasizes, “For every child, early moments matter”.

In Namibia, thousands of children are gaining access to Early Childhood Development in 10 new, state-of-the-art, fully quipped, child-friendly schools, with Montessori trained local teachers. This is meaningful and creates a solid foundation for these marginalized children and their upcoming education. ECD is an expanding area of investment, and two new ECDs were recently completed in South Africa (Andriesvale and Platfontein). In Botswana and Angola, PFL also supports several playgroups and informal ECDs with educational toys, improvements to infrastructure, teacher training, and nutritional support. Looking ahead, this is a strong area for ongoing PFL investment.

Schooling, Vocational Training and Internships

Youth employment is a critical focal area for social development in Southern Africa. To tackle this, PFL invests in improving outcomes for students in secondary school and supporting vocational training and practical job experience. In Botswana, Namibia and South Africa, hundreds of young students and youth get a second chance to complete their studies and enroll in vocational training. Whenever possible, PFL links training to practical internships and jobs, building lifeskills and experience.

Hostels Upgraded

PFL has contributed toward upgrades of several hostels for San children in Botswana, improving eating and sleeping equipment. These basic necessities help with school attainment and completion. The quality of hostels in Botswana is an ongoing advocacy point for Palms for Life.

Water Access

Water is a lifeline everywhere. In 4 remote areas in Namibia and South Africa, PFL has drilled boreholes to reduce the amount of time people have to walk to fetch water for basic, daily needs. Whenever possible and sustainable, PFL supports access to water.

Piloting Innovations: Hydroponics and Aquaponics Agriculture

In Botswana and South Africa, PFL has piloted hydroponics and aquaponics agriculture in drought- affected remote communities, thanks to innovative partnerships. These pilots build agricultural skills and contribute towards food security; in the future, they may offer opportunities to generate income as well.

Adult Literacy

Literacy drives development, and PFL uses newly constructed Early Childhood Development Centers as hubs for adult literacy classes, especially for San women. This is an expanding and rewarding area of development, in partnership with Government.

Sanitation and Water-Wise Toilets

The introduction of water-wise and waterless toilets helps marginalized families have improved access to more dignified and safe sanitation. PFL has installed waterless toilets in the small San/Khomani community of Andriesvale, in the Kalahari desert, South Africa, as well as the peri-urban community of Platfontein. This is a meaningful and quite straight-forward intervention, particularly for communities with few social services. PFL will continue to advocate for environmentally-relevant, low-maintenance sanitation to be installed in many other locations, as needed.

Linking gender equity and sanitation, PFL also supports girls and young women with hygiene kits and reusable pads. Menstruation should never be a barrier to education, nor opportunity.

Mother Tongue and Language Preservation

PFL supports the preservation and celebration of San and Nama languages, many of which are critically endangered. Video and audio transcriptions of threatened languages keep languages alive, and interactive classes taught by elders help build pride in culture and heritage. PFL also supports mother-tongue learning for young children and the development of mother tongue early learning materials.

Health

All Palms for Life projects include a “zero alcohol and drugs” commitment for project participants, and PFL maintains a focus on ending gender-based violence as a cross-cutting theme in all projects.

Food interventions are often linked to vulnerable patients at health clinics, and many projects include mental health support from social workers, ensuring a whole systems view of health and wellness for all.