Our Pillars: M.E.E.T for Impact
At SDLC, our work is guided by M.E.E.T — a holistic framework designed to empower women and children and create sustainable, long-term change.
M.E.E.T represents:
M – Mental Health: Supporting emotional well-being, resilience, and psychosocial support to strengthen individuals and communities.
E – Education: Expanding access to learning, skills development, and knowledge that opens doors to opportunity.
E – Entrepreneurship: Fostering economic independence through business skills, innovation, and enterprise development.
T – Technology: Building digital literacy and access to technology to prepare participants for a rapidly evolving world.
Each pillar plays a vital role in transforming lives and strengthening communities. Together, they form an integrated approach that addresses both personal development and socio-economic empowerment.
Explore each pillar below to learn more about our programmes and how we are creating impact through M.E.E.T.
Mental Health — A Critical Foundation for Healing, Strength & Resilience
The SDLC team, recognised that mental health is central to personal well-being, life opportunity, and community resilience. In South Africa, mental health challenges are widespread and deeply intertwined with social, economic, and violence-related pressures.
Recent data shows that about one in six South Africans experiences a mental health condition like depression, anxiety, or substance-related disorders in any given year, and lifetime prevalence may be as high as 30%. Yet over 90% of people with mental illness do not receive the support they need due to gaps in care, stigma, and limited resources.
Gender-based violence (GBV) — one of South Africa’s most pressing public health crises — not only causes physical harm but also has profound psychological consequences. Survivors of GBV are at higher risk of depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, substance abuse, social withdrawal, and suicidal thoughts.
These intersecting challenges affect individuals, families and communities, and compound existing inequities in access to mental health services — especially for women, children, and survivors of trauma.
The national mental health care system remains under-resourced, and many South Africans — particularly in rural and under-served areas — lack access to essential support.
At SDLC, we prioritise mental health as a core pillar of empowerment, offering trauma-informed wellness support like breathwork and meditation, psycho-education, resilience workshops, and safe spaces where healing can begin. Our aim is to help survivors rebuild confidence, connect with support systems, and access the tools they need to participate fully in life and community.
By integrating mental health support into our broader empowerment work, we help individuals — especially women and children — not just survive, but thrive.
Education — Breaking Barriers, Opening Futures
At SDLC, education is a cornerstone of empowerment — equipping women and children with the knowledge, skills, and opportunities they need to build meaningful, self‑determined lives. Quality education not only opens doors, it protects young people from cycles of poverty, exclusion, and early parenthood.
In South Africa, teenage pregnancy remains a persistent challenge, with recent figures showing that well over 100,000 girls aged 10–19 gave birth in the past year, including more than 1,400 girls aged 10–14, underscoring the scale of the issue among very young adolescents.
These early pregnancies have profound consequences: they often interrupt schooling, increase dropout rates, and diminish future economic opportunities.
Research shows that educational attainment is strongly linked to reduced adolescent pregnancy and improved life outcomes — girls who stay in school longer are more likely to delay pregnancy, complete secondary education, and pursue careers or further learning.
However, many young mothers face barriers such as stigma, financial hardship, and limited access to support services that prevent them from returning to school after giving birth.
Education also plays a critical role in broader social outcomes. Across Eastern and Southern Africa, only about a quarter of young people complete upper secondary school, and an equal proportion of young women give birth before age 18 — trends that highlight persistent structural inequities in education access and completion.
At SDLC our programmes focus on keeping girls and boys engaged in learning, providing catch‑up and life skills training, and supporting young mothers to continue their education.
Through inclusive classes, mentorship, and tailored resources, we help the youth reclaim their educational paths and unlock long‑term opportunities for themselves and their children.
By strengthening educational access and outcomes, we help break cycles of disadvantage and create brighter, more equitable futures for women, children, and communities across South Africa.
Entrepreneurship — Building Economic Independence & Opportunity
Our Entrepreneurship pillar is committed to equipping women and young people with the skills, confidence, resources, and support they need to start, sustain, and grow their own businesses. We believe that entrepreneurship is a powerful pathway to financial independence, community upliftment, and sustainable economic development.
While South African women are demonstrating strong entrepreneurial ambition — with more than half (57%) identifying as business owners or aspiring to start a business — structural barriers still limit their success and growth opportunities.
Women currently own nearly 22% of all South African businesses, a figure that continues to grow but remains below where it could be given women’s economic potential.
However, women face significant challenges in scaling their ventures: research shows that only about 4.1% of women-owned businesses grow into established enterprises compared to 7.9% for men, indicating ongoing gender disparities in access to capital, markets, networks and sustained resources.
Despite these barriers, women entrepreneurs contribute in vital ways to job creation, innovation and community welfare. Businesses led by women increasingly operate across diverse sectors, including online retail, services and food & drink, and many are using digital tools and technology to expand their reach.
At SDLC, we support women as they move from aspiration to enterprise by offering targeted mentorship, business skills training, access to markets, digital literacy and startup support.
Through tailored programmes, peer networks and growth opportunities, we help women overcome structural obstacles and unlock the full potential of their entrepreneurial journeys.
By advancing women’s entrepreneurship, we not only strengthen individual livelihoods — we also contribute to inclusive economic growth, job creation and community resilience.
Technology — Bridging the Digital Divide for Opportunity and Access
The SDLC team understand that technology is a gateway — not just to information, but to education, healthcare, economic participation, and social connection. In an increasingly digital world, access to technology is essential for individuals and communities to thrive.
Despite advances in connectivity, significant disparities remain in who can benefit from technology. In South Africa, many women and youth still face barriers to meaningful internet access and digital participation due to affordability, infrastructure gaps, and limited digital skills.
Women are less likely than men to use mobile internet services, with research showing that women are still around 14% less likely than men to access the mobile internet — a gap that translates directly into inequalities in opportunity and empowerment.
The gender digital divide in Africa is part of a broader trend: across sub‑Saharan Africa, millions of women remain offline or underconnected, limiting access to lifesaving information, online learning, employment platforms, digital financial services, and entrepreneurial tools.
Digital skills — from basic internet navigation to more advanced competencies — are increasingly required for jobs and economic participation. Studies project that over 230 million jobs in Sub‑Saharan Africa will require digital skills by 2030, making digital education a critical asset for future employment and economic growth.
At SDLC, we leverage technology to bridge these gaps by offering digital literacy training, access to devices and connectivity where possible, and programmes that help women and children use technology with confidence and purpose.
Whether it’s online learning, digital entrepreneurship, or accessing health and education resources, we aim to ensure that technology becomes a tool of empowerment — not exclusion.
By closing the digital divide, we help women and children connect to opportunities, expand their capabilities, and participate fully in the digital economy — unlocking pathways to economic independence, education, and sustained community growth.