Regional Psychosocial Support Initiative

What Regional Psychosocial Support Initiative does

Regional Psychosocial Support Initiative (REPSSI) is a South African-registered Non-Profit Company (NPC), founded in 2002 and headquartered in Randburg, South Africa. It operates as Africa's leading mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) knowledge hub and policy influencer, delivering community-based MHPSS programmes in 13 countries across Eastern and Southern Africa (Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe), with an additional Horn of Africa extension added in 2024. Its core beneficiaries are children, adolescents, young mothers, refugees and displaced populations, and people with disabilities, with delivery through direct country offices, partnerships with government ministries, and civil-society networks.

REPSSI's service portfolio comprises three interlocking pillars: (1) country-level programmes such as READY+ (HIV/MHPSS integration for adolescents), Happy Mother Happy Baby (young mothers' psychosocial support), Say No to Gender-Based Violence, Skills2Live (economic empowerment), and humanitarian MHPSS responses in conflict-affected areas (Cabo Delgado, Kiryandongo, Marburg response); (2) a TEVETA-accredited capacity-building portfolio including a 3-year Child & Adolescent Mental Health Diploma, a 3-year Community-Based Work with Children & Youth Diploma, and short courses (4-week to 6-month), delivered via the REPSSI Student Portal at student.repssi.org; and (3) a publications and convening catalogue spanning the Journey of Life Toolkit, Better Parenting Plus, Aunty Nomsa, Celebrate Your Life, annual reports, policy briefs, research outputs, and the biennial MHPSS Forum (8th edition, Lusaka, October 2025). Technology infrastructure is deliberately lightweight — a WordPress-based website (repssi.org), a student management system, PayFast-secured donation processing (POPIA-compliant), and an MHPSS Forum microsite — reflecting a content-and-people delivery model rather than a software-product model.

REPSSI's revenue model is multi-stream and characteristic of an institutional non-profit: grant and donor funding from bilateral, multilateral, and private-foundation partners (including ViiV Healthcare, UNICEF, WHO, SADC, Frontline AIDS, ChildFund, IFRC, CRS); individual giving via the PayFast-secured donation portal; training programme fees from TEVETA diploma and short-course enrolment managed through REPSSI Zambia; and membership/certification affiliations with CHS Alliance, NGOsource, and Frontline AIDS. Pricing is not publicly disclosed for training; donations are voluntary and open-ended. Governance is by a volunteer Board of Directors led by Chairperson Gigi Gosnell, with CEO Patrick Onyango Mangen (20+ years in humanitarian and development leadership), and the organisation is credentialed as a CHS Alliance full member, NGOsource-equivalent, and Frontline AIDS partner. The 2021–2025 Strategic Plan was exceeded by 22 percent, and a new Regional Strategy 2026–2030 ("Working for Children, Youth, and Families Across Sectors") was published in December 2025.

Name

Regional Psychosocial Support Initiative

Legal name

Regional Psychosocial Support Initiative

Website

https://repssi.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Regional Psychosocial Support Initiative (REPSSI) is a South African Non-Profit Company founded in 2002, operating as Africa's leading mental health and psychosocial support knowledge hub across 13 countries in Eastern and Southern Africa, delivering community-based MHPSS programmes, TEVETA-accredited training, and policy influence for children, adolescents, young mothers, and displaced populations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Educational Support Services (611710), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro primary industry

Maternal, Newborn, Child & Adolescent Health (MNCAH) Partnerships (HLAJAOAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus & Resilience Programming (BPADAEAK), Teletherapy / Remote Speech-Language Therapy (School-Age) (EDAKAEAL), Parenting Education for Special Needs & Developmental Differences (EDACALAK), Home Health Aide (HHA) & Personal Care Aide (PCA) (EDAOAJAM)

Keywords

• Mental health services
• Psychosocial support programs
• Child protection services
• Humanitarian capacity building
• Community health training

Headquarters

HQ city

Randburg

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices13 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations (individual giving): REPSSI accepts donations from supporters globally via PayFast-secured online giving. Donations are voluntary, unrestricted in amount, and processed under POPIA compliance.
2. Training programme fees: Revenue from TEVETA-accredited diploma programmes (3-year) and short certificate courses (4-week to 6-month) delivered in-person and online across the region, managed through REPSSI Zambia.
3. Grants and institutional donor funding: Implied core funding stream as a non-profit, with operations across 13 countries, multi-year strategic plans, and delivery of major programmes (READY+, Happy Mother Healthy Baby, etc.) suggesting substantial grant and donor support from bilateral, multilateral, and private foundation partners.
4. Membership and certification revenues: Membership/certification affiliations (CHS Alliance full member, NGOsource equivalency, Frontline Aids partner) reflect credibility-driven institutional support; certification/membership with these bodies may carry associated fees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion5 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

REPSSI delivers mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) programmes, training, and knowledge products across 13 countries in Eastern and Southern Africa. Its core offerings are: (1) country-level MHPSS programmes such as READY+, Happy Mother Happy Baby, Say No to Gender-Based Violence, and Skills2Live; (2) TEVETA-accredited training (two 3-year diplomas and multiple short courses) delivered in-person and online; and (3) a knowledge hub of toolkits, policy briefs, research, and the biennial MHPSS Forum for children, youth, families, communities, professionals, and policymakers.

Product overview

REPSSI operates as a platform-plus-modules style offering rather than a single unified software product. The core of REPSSI is a regional mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) knowledge hub and technical authority for East and Southern Africa, delivering its mission through three interlocking pillars: (1) country programmes across 13 countries (Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe), each with named thematic initiatives such as the READY+ Programme, the Happy Mother Happy Baby Initiative, the Say No to Gender-Based Violence Initiative, and Skills2Live; (2) a TEVETA-accredited capacity-building portfolio anchored by the Child & Adolescent Mental Health Diploma Programme and the Community-Based Work with Children & Youth Diploma Programme, plus short courses (Introduction to Child Adolescent Mental Health, CBWCY, ECD), all delivered via the REPSSI Student Portal; and (3) a publications and community-engagement catalogue that includes the MHPSS Forum, The Journey of Life Toolkit, Aunty Nomsa Cards / Flip It, Celebrate Your Life, the Great Child Class, EmPowering Girls, Peace is a Decision, the Psychosocial Support Toolkit for Social Workers, and the Better Parenting Plus Community Discussion Guide. Together these named offerings are the products and services REPSSI delivers to children, youth, families, communities, professionals, and policymakers in the region.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Child & Adolescent Mental Health Diploma Programme

Quantifiable outcome

• Exceeded 2021–2025 Strategic Plan targets by 22%
• +9 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

24 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• PayFastcoreTechnology or IntegrationPayFast is REPSSI's payment processing partner for online donations. All financial transactions are encrypted and processed securely through PayFast; REPSSI does not store any banking or card information, and personal data is processed in accordance with South Africa's POPIA.
• APHRC (African Population and Health Research Center)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a partner organization on the REPSSI website footer/partner carousel.
• NGOsourceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a partner and certification body on the REPSSI website; REPSSI holds NGOsource equivalency certification.
• MHPFSminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a partner organization on the REPSSI website partner carousel.
• AVSIminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a partner organization on the REPSSI website partner carousel.
• CHS AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerREPSSI is a CHS Alliance full member, certified compliant with the Core Humanitarian Standard on Quality and Accountability.
• ReadyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a partner organization on the REPSSI website partner carousel.
• Frontline AIDScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrontline AIDS is a partner organization; REPSSI holds a Frontline AIDS partner certificate.
• University of PretoriacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerREPSSI South Africa served as community partner on the R-NEET study led by the University of Pretoria, presented at the 7th Global Mental Health Summit in November 2025.
• UNICEFcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerREPSSI Tanzania collaborates with UNICEF alongside government ministries and the WHO on national campaigns (Day of the African Child, Sixteen Days of Activism) and broader MHPSS work.
• World Health Organization (WHO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerREPSSI Tanzania collaborates with WHO alongside UNICEF and government ministries on MHPSS-related national conversations and campaigns.
• SADC (Southern African Development Community)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSADC is a co-author/publisher with REPSSI of regional policy frameworks including the Cadre Régional Conceptuel for psychosocial support (2006, French), Quadro Conceitual Regional (2006, Portuguese), and the Minimum Package of Services for Orphans and Vulnerable Children and Youth (2011).
• ChildFund ZambiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing research partnership with REPSSI and the Southern African Development (SAD) consultancy, producing the 2010 longitudinal Research Briefs 1, 2, 5, 6, 8, 9, and 10 in rural Zambia on mental health, stigma, schooling, and wellbeing of orphans and vulnerable children.
• TPO UgandaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-author/publisher with REPSSI on 'Mainstreaming Psychosocial Care and Support' trainer's guides for health workers and teachers in conflict/emergency settings (2009–2010).
• CRS (Catholic Relief Services)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-publisher with REPSSI of the 'Journey of Life' community workshop series and implementation guide for supporting children, including modules on ending human trafficking and protecting children from abuse (2017).
• IFRC Reference Centre for Psychosocial SupportcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-author with REPSSI, MHPSS.net, and Jonathan Morgan of the 'Hopeful, Healthy & Happy Living and Learning Toolkit – Parent-caregiver guide' capturing family experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic (2021).
• MHPSS.netminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-author partner on the parent-caregiver guide of the Hopeful, Healthy & Happy Living and Learning Toolkit (2021).
• CATIEminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-author with REPSSI on 'Tracking your Health – A Guide to Creating a Tracing Book' in the Psychosocial Wellbeing Series (2008).
• APSSIminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-publisher with REPSSI on 'Celebrate Your Life' (2019) and the Hopeful, Healthy & Happy Living and Learning Toolkit (with Mark Kluckow of APSSI, 2021).
• United CharitableminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublisher of the 'Great Child Class – A Powerful, Transformative Tool For All Children' (2nd Edition, 2021), co-published with REPSSI.
• Ranyaka Community TransformationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAuthor of the 'Making Our Community Safer for Children' final report (2019), published in partnership with NMCF, REPSSI, HRC, and June 16 Youth Development Foundation.
• Namibia Media HoldingscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnered with REPSSI Namibia to launch a children's programme on Republikein TV, strengthening public engagement on mental health, protection, and child rights.
• Namibian EconomistminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNational media partner publishing interviews and features on REPSSI Namibia's suicide ideation study and the REPSSI Psychosocial Support Forum.
• Wona Sanana Association (Mozambique)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerREPSSI Board member Flavio Liberato Fernandes San Quinhas is the Executive Director of Wona Sanana Association; the partnership supports MHPSS and protection work in Mozambique.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Catholic Relief Services (CRS): CRS is a long-standing co-publisher of REPSSI's Journey of Life toolkit and operates child protection and psychosocial programmes across the same African geographies. Comparable as a faith-based INGO with regional MHPSS programming and toolkit co-development history.
• International Rescue Committee (IRC): IRC delivers MHPSS in humanitarian settings across Africa and globally, with similar programme models for women and children affected by conflict and displacement. Comparable on MHPSS service delivery and humanitarian response; a REPSSI board member's employer, signaling close ecosystem ties.
• Save the Children International (Africa Regional): Save the Children operates a large African regional portfolio spanning child protection, education, health, and MHPSS, with on-the-ground presence in many of the same 13 countries. Comparable on target beneficiaries and integrated child wellbeing systems; significantly larger in scale.
• World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Africa: WHO AFRO sets mental health policy and norms across the African continent and works with the same health ministries REPSSI engages. Comparable as a normative authority and policy influencer on mental health, though broader in mandate and significantly larger.
• UNICEF Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Office: UNICEF's ESA regional office is a major UN agency partner and funder working on child rights, MHPSS, HIV, and education across the same 13+ Eastern and Southern African countries. Comparable as a regional convener and policy influencer in overlapping child wellbeing domains, though operating at a much larger scale.

Direct peers

• ChildFund International: ChildFund is a direct long-standing research partner of REPSSI (ChildFund Zambia), working on mental health, stigma, and wellbeing of orphans and vulnerable children in rural Zambia and other African countries. Highly comparable on target population (children affected by HIV/poverty) and on country-level psychosocial programming.
• TPO Uganda: TPO Uganda is a co-author with REPSSI on psychosocial care and support training materials for conflict/emergency settings. Comparable as a regional MHPSS-focused NGO operating in similar East African geographies and conflict-affected communities.
• War Child: War Child delivers MHPSS and child protection programming for children affected by conflict across multiple African and global contexts. Comparable on psychosocial support models for conflict-affected children and on capacity-building of frontline workers.
• Frontline AIDS: Frontline AIDS is a global partnership of organizations working on HIV and the rights of people most affected; REPSSI holds a Frontline AIDS partner certificate. Comparable on HIV-focused programming targeting adolescents and marginalized populations across Southern Africa.
• Wona Sanana Association: Wona Sanana is a Mozambican NGO partner whose Executive Director serves on REPSSI's Board, working on MHPSS and protection for vulnerable women and children. Comparable as a community-based MHPSS implementer in Mozambique and as a regional peer organization.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@repssichannel2116?si=rSY5aXBNAXoK_s5i
• Facebookfacebook.com/REPSSIHQ
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/repssihq
• Instagraminstagram.com/repssihq/?hl=fr
• Xx.com/REPSSI

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Regional Psychosocial Support Initiative