Checking in with CIEE Study Abroad Alum Chris Grava and his Nonprofit, Intsikelelo

You might remember the article we posted back in December 2014 about CIEE Study Abroad alum Chris Grava, whose semester in Cape Town, South Africa in 2012 led him to co-found a nonprofit, Intsikelelo, to help orphaned and vulnerable children in the country. As mentioned in our previous blog post, Intsikelelo was conceived when Chris’s brother, Nick Grava, visited Cape Town while Chris was studying abroad there. After seeing a struggling orphanage in the nearby township of Khayelitsha, Nick skipped his flight home to dedicate all his time and energy to working at the orphanage, where he served as Managing Director for two years and was given the name Intsikelelo, or “blessing” in Xhosa.

In 2013, a year after his study abroad experience, Chris returned to South Africa to assist the orphanage with his brother:

“We made a lot of progress, but the improvements at the Home were often overshadowed by the scale of the challenges facing these children and their communities, such as HIV, crime, and poverty. We came to realize that there were many local, community-driven efforts working to tackle these social issues, but they often struggled for the same reasons as the Home of Safety and would benefit from additional support. Meanwhile, we also found that many other families and communities back home in the U.S. and around the world wanted to help.”

This realization is what propelled the brothers to found Intsikelelo in 2013 – an organization whose mission is “to improve the lives of orphans and vulnerable children in South Africa by developing and supporting community-driven initiatives and connecting them to the world.”

When we last spoke with Chris, he and Nick were working on launching an after-school program, Siluncedo, with a local team in Khayelitsha. We’re happy to announce that Intsikelelo was able to help Siluncedo by providing the initial seed capital to launch their after-school program and by helping them establish connections to children’s homes and schools in the area. The program is unique in that it employs an all-local team of tutors from similar backgrounds to the children. These tutors serve as academic tutors, mentors, and role models, all while providing a wholesome approach to personal development for the children. In the future, Siluncedo hopes to grow its team and expand its program to more children’s homes.

The brotherly duo has also worked to support the Langbos Creche & Care Centre, a kindergarten and community center in the rural Eastern Cape of South Africa. Intsikelelo began working closely with the community this past year to assess needs and opportunities within the community, including many meetings and a census that collected data from every home in the community. Since then, Intsikelelo has launched a monthly grant that supports security and nutritious meals for the community center. Intsikelelo also distributed solar powered lights and phone charging stations to every home in the Langbos community, an informal settlement with no access to electricity.

Their newest project is to build a home for orphans and vulnerable children in Langbos. The project is sponsored by GoPro as part of the company’s new GoPro for a Cause platform. To date, they have raised $80,000 to construct and fund the home. The building includes a design that incorporates local culture and style, as well as sustainable design elements such as earthbag building and solar power.

Intsikelelo has also begun an academic sponsorship program, helping vulnerable youth enroll in high school and university, as well as apply for various grants and scholarships.

If you are interested in donating or learning more about Intsikelelo, please visit their website: http://www.intsikelelo.org/

Thanks for checking in with us, Chris. We look forward to more updates from Intsikelelo!