Zintle Khobeni

Zintle Khobeni, South Africa, is a human rights activist, Law student at the University of South Africa, and founder of The Great People of South Africa, a women-led non-profit advocating for human rights, gender justice, and the rights of women, girls, LGBTQI+ individuals, and persons with disabilities.

With the support of the Giving Joy grant, Zintle’s organization successfully implemented a paralegal training program for 17 young women, equipping them with essential legal skills to support survivors of gender-based violence (GBV). The training aimed to empower participants as community advocates for justice.

The program covered four core areas: basic legal skills, trauma response, referral services, and court support. Participants learned fundamental legal concepts, human rights, and community-based advocacy. They were also trained in psychological first aid to provide compassionate support, as well as how to connect survivors with legal, medical, and social services and guide them through court procedures.

Zintle partnered with the South African Police Services and Siyafunda, who provided additional insights on the National Strategic Plan Policies (NSP) on GBV. This collaboration not only reduced costs but also deepened the trainees' knowledge.

The $500 Giving Joy grant helped deliver a structured, impactful program. As a result, the trained women have gained critical skills and confidence in supporting GBV survivors. Many have already begun assisting survivors in accessing legal aid services, illustrating the program’s direct impact. The training also reinforced Zintle’s commitment to gender justice and bolstered the organization’s capacity for future legal empowerment initiatives.

The trained grassroots paralegals are now actively supporting survivors of gender-based violence, offering critical guidance, and connecting them to essential services. Their work has already reached and benefited more than 75 individuals — including survivors, their families, and community members — through direct support, word-of-mouth advocacy, and referral networks. This ripple effect highlights the powerful, community-wide impact of investing in local leadership and survivor-led justice.

“What began as a $500 investment has evolved into a full-fledged movement led by 17 brave women — women who now stand taller, speak louder, and act boldly in the face of injustice. The Giving Joy grant did not just help us run a training — it helped birth a new generation of grassroots paralegals, many of them survivors, now acting as defenders of dignity in their communities.

As we prepare for our joint graduation event in August 2025, we will carry Giving Joy’s name with us — as proof that even the smallest grants, when given with trust and belief, can yield lifelong impact.” Zintle Khobeni de Lange, Founding Director, The Great People of South Africa