FinMark Trust was proud to host BRAC Global’s Executive Director, Jerome Oberreit, together with senior delegates from BRAC International, from 3–7 November 2025. During this visit to South Africa, the Department of Social Development (DSD), in partnership with the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) and the National Development Agency (NDA), joined a series of engagements highlighting progress under the Generating Better Livelihoods for Grant Recipients (GBL) project.

This flagship, government-led initiative is being piloted in three provinces – Gauteng, Free State, and KwaZulu-Natal. Using the BRAC graduation model, it aims to empower social grant recipients, particularly women and youth, to build sustainable livelihoods through skills development, enterprise support, and access to income-generating opportunities.

The five-day visit began at FinMark Trust’s head office in Midrand, where our team welcomed the BRAC delegation for a session that brought together project leads from the DSD, SASSA, NDA, and FinMark Trust. The discussions focused on lessons from implementation, insights from the field, and strengthening collaboration to advance the BRAC graduation model within the South African context.

Closing the first day’s engagement, Hope Vivian from the DSD remarked with a smile, “As you reflect, it is like counselling.” She added that this process of review and reflection shines a light on the project’s achievements, lessons, and opportunities for growth.

On Day 2, the programme expanded to include executive heads from our government partners. SASSA CEO, Mr Themba Matlou, reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to supporting the project, emphasising that GBL has the potential to reach millions of South Africans. “This project is very important and should move beyond the pilot phase to be scaled up across all provinces, targeting at least five million grant recipients,” he said.

On 6 November 2025, the delegation joined government partners, project teams, and participants for a field visit to the Lejweleputswa District in the Free State, to learn more and hear first-hand stories of impact from participants.

Our Linkage Facilitators from Saaiplaas and Meloding warmly welcomed visitors and introduced the participants they coach, mentor and guide through the graduation process. The stories shared were filled with passion and hope.

One of the participants, Sophie Seitisho from Saaiplaas, shared her experience: “It’s been two months since I joined, and I’ve already learned so much. I can now help my mother with planting and weeding, and my dream is to start my own vegetable market.”

For more on this, view the photo journal created for the event.

Representatives from BRAC commended the participants’ determination and the strong collaboration between government, civil society, and partners, which continues to drive the project’s success.

Closing the visit, Mme Winkie Direko, Chief Director for Community and Partnership Development at the Free State DSD, reaffirmed the shared vision of “building a caring and self-reliant society together.”