WE INVESTED R172.9 MILLION IN SOCIAL INFRASTRUCTURE AND YOUTH FOCUSED OPPORTUNITY PATHWAYS
Our development position articulates our ambition to “bend the arc of history” by investing in sustainable development. The DLABS precinct model programme is an initiative to provide meaningful access to opportunities and foster economic activities for youth by empowering community-based economic development and inclusively promoting large-scale sustainable development.
The DLABS goal is to create a platform that provides access to economic participation, opportunities and programmes that foster resilience and unlock human potential through impactful parterships. Leveraging the DBSA’s convening power, the programme has established a network of approximately 30 key stakeholder partnerships spanning civil society, business, government and other like-minded groups with shared developmental goals, supported 479 start-up enterprises and 1598 youth trained in future skills. This partnership platform creates financial and non-financial opportunities within the DLAB Precinct ecosystem, mobilises and attracts investments, through targeted investing, yields developmental returns and stimulates the township economy.
The DLAB Programme successfully achieved the targets set by partners in our 2024 implementation plan. The DLAB Programme continues to be a space that provides the youth with opportunities. The team saw more than 22 683 515 participants register for various programmes available at the DLAB. The SCALP programme continues to be popular and the key attraction for the youth. 5 693 youth are currently participating in SCALP programmes. Community outreach and mobilisation remain key to accessing participants that have not had the chance to come into the facility and the elderly.The health and ZLTO programmes have been instrumental in community outreach, the Wits Health Hubb advocates provided basic wellness checks to 64 153 community members. The ZLTO offering saw 45 058 social impact transactions being completed through by DLAB-engaged participants. As in many disadvantaged communities, unemployment is high. However, the Youth Cafe continues to be the link between the youth and opportunities for work. Youth cafe has facilitated the placement of 239 youth into
learnership opportunities and into internships. All DLAB Development Results are audited internally by DBSA screening and review team and by the Auditor-General of South Africa, an external national authority. In addition to the quantitative outcomes captured in the DRTs, numerous qualitative impacts have been observed throughout the year, including an improvement in participants’ overall well-being.
To learn more please visit our 2024 Sustainability Report page 55 to get more information around the DLABS