Our Journey
What Inspires Us?
1 Samuel 2:8 He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap. He seats them among princes and bestows on them a throne of honor. For the foundations of the earth are the LORD's, and upon them He has set the world.
As Kudzo Nation, our goal is to provide a platform for homeless, displaced, and marginalized individuals to rise above the circumstances they've been dealt with.
We are a community development organization that was established in 2019 in a plight to address poverty, inequality and unemployment.
Our Team
Dineo is passionate about the family structure and loves food and anime. Among many hats she wears, she is a GIBS Alumni and entrepreneur. She champions the Donations, Fundraising, and Stakeholder Relations Department.
Simbarashe believes in the spirit of Ubuntu and Selflessness. He has been involved in impactful movements such as The Bridge, a student outreach program based in Doornfontein. He loves dance, development, and insightful conversations. He also holds a Master's in Sustainable Urban Planning & Development. He is the Program Manager and heads our 3 anchor programs - PROJECT ID, #GOAL4, and STITCHPRENEUR.
Our Volunteers from the University of Johannesburg are the perfect and balanced blend of skills, enthusiasm, dedication, compassion, and ambition. They are the selfless hands that serve and feet that carry the organization's vision and run with it.
Street Exit Strategists. Pioneers of Social Entrepreneurship. Drivers of Local Economic Development. Leaders of Urban Regeneration.
Our Mission
- To facilitate the restoration of identification, and supporting documents for the homeless, and underprivileged South African citizens and fellow African Nationals, across the continent and the diaspora.
- To empower the homeless and underprivileged people in, and of Africa socially, economically and through defined channels that aid to the development of the “Whole Person”.
- To assist the African Union and African Governments in eradicating all levels of poverty, inequality, unemployment among the youth and productive bracket of the continent.
Our Values
Wholeness. Ubuntu. Leadership. Knowledge. Production.
What we've been up to lately
Wall of Good Deeds
A Perspective on Homelessness
Kate Mlauzi (2018) describes the existing conditions of displacement and homelessness in South Africa.
"A walk through Johannesburg’s metropolitan area highlights the glaring reality of homelessness in South Africa. Reasons for why and how people become homeless vary significantly. Some believe that homeless individuals choose to be homeless, or that they are criminals, lazy, alcohol- and drug-users or that they are homeless because of poor choices. However, this notion of homeless people is flawed and does not fully encapsulate the socio-economic conditions (often outside of these individuals’ control) that give rise to homelessness. Together with changing socio-economic conditions, our understanding of who this group of people is has changed.
A deeper understanding of homelessness extends beyond lacking a roof over your head; it includes a lack of access to socio-economic opportunities essential for human survival, such as access to job opportunities, health services and education, among others. By taking into account the multiple dimensions of homelessness, we begin to understand that people who are homeless are not a distinct population and that the pathways into and out of homelessness are neither linear nor uniform.
The most common occurrence of homelessness is when unemployed people cannot afford housing. People with low incomes (or without access to a regular income) drift into poverty, which puts them at risk of becoming homeless. Those trapped in the ‘missing middle’ are often unable to afford bonds for their own homes, but simultaneously do not qualify for low-income houses.
As a way to mitigate this, Kudzo Foundation has partnered with various stakeholders, such as Mould Empower Serve (MES), to facilitate shelter and street exit strategies for homeless people within South Africa.