What Khanya does

Khanya is a UK-registered charity (registration no 1181592), launched on 17 May 2018 and registered in January 2019, whose mission is to equip disadvantaged young people in Southern Africa with practical vocational skills so they can earn a living and support their families. The charity operates primarily in the Eastern and Western Capes of South Africa, with additional reach into Johannesburg, and serves a single end-user segment — unemployed and under-skilled youth — through six interconnected training programmes: a sewing skills studio, a carpentry/woodworking course, an apprenticeships programme placing young people with local employers, a bricklaying course taught by Chair Adrian 'Ade' Lusmore, an electrical skills course, and the Amasango Skills Workshop offering sewing, tailoring, hairdressing and craft skills.

Delivery is asset-light and partner-led: Khanya funds materials, tool kits and a basic stipend for trainees, while South African organisations provide premises, raw materials and trainee selection. Core partners include Klay (a major brickmaker providing training premises and absorbing alumni), Fisantekraal Centre for Development (sponsoring trainees and following up on outcomes), Makana Brick (donating raw materials), Juja Clay NPC, Amakhala Game Reserve, Amasango Career School, and African Musical Instruments. Training is conducted on real construction projects — dormitories, schoolrooms — rather than artificial exercises, which serves as both a methodological differentiator and a source of community assets.

The revenue model is donation-driven rather than commercial. Income derives from one-off and monthly UK donor contributions (eligible for Gift Aid at 25p per £1), community fundraising events such as quizzes, wine tastings and barbecues, personalised cards and ecards via Making A Difference Cards, and the Give As You Live affiliate shopping programme. Beneficiaries are not charged. By September 2025, Khanya had trained 119 people, of whom 88 had secured employment, continued education or had their job security enhanced — an approximately 74% positive outcome rate — supported by a governance team of six trustees (Chair Adrian Lusmore, Vice-chair Christina Thomas, Treasurer Jeremy Anglin, Assistant Treasurer Robert Fryer, Trustees Brendan Baxter, Leon Ford and Adrienne Hall) with no paid staff disclosed.

Name

Khanya

Legal name

Khanya

Website

https://khanya.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Khanya is a UK-registered charity funding vocational training — bricklaying, carpentry, electrical, sewing and apprenticeships — for disadvantaged youth in South Africa's Eastern and Western Capes, delivered through local partner organisations and underwritten by UK donations and community fundraising events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Vocational Training and Youth Skills Development

NAICS

Other Technical and Trade Schools (611519), Apprenticeship Training (611513), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Small Business & Entrepreneurship Community Education (EDAAAFAK)

Keywords

• Vocational training
• Youth skills development
• Construction trades training
• Charitable education programs
• Apprenticeship placement

Headquarters

HQ city

United Kingdom

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations: Khanya receives both one-off and recurring donations from supporters in the UK. UK taxpayers can Gift Aid donations, allowing the charity to claim 25p for every pound donated.
2. Event Fundraising: Khanya organizes community events including quizzes, wine tasting evenings, and barbecues to raise funds. Events have raised amounts such as £950 from a BBQ and £1,500 from an online quiz.
3. Affiliate Shopping Program: Khanya benefits from the Give As You Live program where a percentage of online purchases from participating retailers is donated to the charity.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Khanya is a UK-registered charity that funds and delivers vocational trades training to disadvantaged young people in the Eastern and Western Capes of South Africa. It runs practical courses in bricklaying, carpentry, electrical skills, sewing/tailoring, and apprenticeship placements, providing materials, tools, stipends, and business/life-skills mentorship. Programs are delivered through partnerships with local South African businesses, brickmakers, and foundations.

Product overview

Khanya is a UK-registered charity (no 1181592) that provides vocational and trades training programs for disadvantaged young people in Southern Africa. The organization operates as a unified charitable mission offering multiple interconnected vocational training programs: the Amasango Skills Workshop (sewing, tailoring, hairdressing), an Apprenticeships Program (on-the-job placement with stipends), and practical skills courses in Bricklaying, Carpentry, Sewing, and Electrical Skills. Programs are delivered through partnerships with local South African organizations, with training provided by volunteers and experienced tradespeople. By September 2025, the charity had trained 119 people with 88 finding employment or having job security enhanced.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Amasango Skills Workshop A vocational skills training program at Amasango Career School in Makhanda/Grahamstown offering sewing, tailoring, craft skills, and hairdressing/barber training to disadvantaged learners, with two teachers intending to launch a bricklaying course at the school.
• Apprenticeships Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 74% positive outcome rate: 88 of 119 trainees found employment, continued education, or had job security enhanced (as of September 2025)

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• KlaycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKlay is one of the largest brickmakers in South Africa producing clay bricks, blocks, and specialized clay products. They provide training premises and sponsor trainers for Khanya's bricklaying and electrical skills courses. Klay subsequently employed two Khanya alumni.
• Fisantekraal Centre for DevelopmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFisantekraal Centre for Development supports and trains local unemployed young people. They select trainees for Khanya's programs and follow up with graduates to ensure positive outcomes.
• Makana BrickcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of the biggest brick manufacturers in South Africa, founded in 1994. Makana Brick provides training space and raw materials (donated bricks) for Khanya's bricklaying programs at Makhanda.
• Amakhala Game ReserveminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAmakhala wants to upskill its employees and provides trainees for Khanya's training programs. Young people from Amakhala participate in bricklaying courses to build dormitory rooms at Juja Clay's premises.
• Juja Clay NPCminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner since 2023, Juja Clay has a track record of training young people in ceramics and finding them employment locally in the Eastern Cape and in Cape Town. They provide training opportunities for young people, some of whom are vulnerable and need housing.
• Amakhala and Kariega FoundationsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFoundations that provide trainees for Khanya's bricklaying and construction training programs. Six trainees from these foundations participated in the April 2026 Sidbury School project.
• The WoodshedminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal company partner for Khanya's carpentry and woodworking training program that ran from November 2019 to September 2020 in Grahamstown/Makhanda.
• The Grahamstown ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal community development project that partnered with Khanya and The Woodshed to deliver carpentry training to three young people.
• African Musical InstrumentsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFollowing Khanya's first carpentry programme, two young men were placed with African Musical Instruments for apprenticeships. One was offered a full-time job at the end of the agreed period.
• Friends of Amasango (UK)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvided funds for a purpose-built container to act as a beauty skills training workshop at Amasango Career School. This enabled the hairdressing and barber training initiative.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Afrika Tikkun: South African NGO running education-to-employment programmes including vocational tracks for disadvantaged youth in Gauteng and the Western Cape — overlapping beneficiary base but broader in scope than Khanya.

Emerging players

• Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator: South African organisation solving youth unemployment through skills matching and demand-led training, serving the same disadvantaged-youth segment as Khanya but with a tech-enabled, large-scale model.

Others

• Shonaquip Social Enterprise: South African social enterprise producing mobility devices while training disabled artisans; thematically comparable vocational-skills-plus-employment model in the same Cape region as Khanya.

Direct peers

• Build It International: UK-registered charity that trains disadvantaged young people in construction trades (masonry, carpentry, plumbing) in Zambia and other developing countries, with projects that deliver community buildings — a near-perfect activity overlap with Khanya.
• Salesian Institute Youth Projects: Cape Town-based non-profit providing vocational training (carpentry, welding, sewing) and work placements to marginalised youth; directly comparable trade, beneficiary and geography mix to Khanya's Western Cape programmes.
• Polycom Development Project: South African non-profit providing vocational training in sewing, welding, computer skills and business to disadvantaged youth, with a similar apprenticeship-and-stipend approach to Khanya's programmes.
• Tools for Self Reliance: UK-based charity that refurbishes donated tools and trains artisans and apprentices in trades (including tailoring, carpentry and metalwork) across sub-Saharan Africa, sharing Khanya's UK-registered, Africa-delivered trades-training model.

Broad incumbents

• Habitat for Humanity South Africa: Large NGO operating in South Africa focused on housing construction, with associated training components for local builders; overlaps in real-project delivery and beneficiary profile but operates at substantially greater scale than Khanya.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/khanya

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Khanya