loveLife

What loveLife does

loveLife is a South African non-profit youth organisation (The New loveLife Trust) established in 1999 as a joint initiative of leading NGOs, private foundations, and the South African government. The organisation operates as a platform for Youth Health Promotion across all nine provinces of South Africa, targeting young people aged 10-24 (with secondary outreach to age 35) through a peer-to-peer education model built around the groundBREAKERS programme, launched in 2001. Trained peer educators aged 19-28 deliver HIV prevention, sexual and reproductive health education, life skills, psychosocial support, and leadership development in schools, adolescent and youth friendly clinics, sports hubs, and community spaces. The delivery infrastructure is anchored by a national network of Y-Centres (physical youth centres) managed by Y-Centre Managers and Coordinators, supplemented by media products including UNCUT Magazine (monthly, targeting ages 12-17), The Purple Couch video series, #AskMizzB Q&A platform, and Chat Groups. The Mpintshi Programme serves as the entry-level pathway feeding into groundBREAKERS, while the Alumni Programme bridges graduates into employment through corporate partnerships.

The underlying technology is principally a community-ecosystem model rather than a software platform, with proprietary assets including the 3C construct (Complete, Creative, Connected) framework, programme curricula developed over 25+ years, and content library. Digital products (OKY APP currently under tender for ICT upgrade, #AskMizzB, The Purple Couch) supplement the community-based delivery model. The business model is non-profit, with revenue streams comprising South African government grants (Department of Health for HIV youth prevention interventions; Department of Sports, Arts & Culture under the District Development Model), corporate sponsorships (ACWA Power, Anglo American/Kumba Iron Ore, Volkswagen Group South Africa, Otraco, Kurisani Youth Development Trust) for Y-Centre construction and youth programmes, grants from international foundations (UNFPA, UNICEF, Terre Des Hommes Schweiz, Old Mutual Foundation, Sishen Iron Ore Corporation Community Development Trust), and individual donations. All services are provided free of charge to beneficiaries, with the organisation funded entirely through grants, sponsorships, and donations rather than fees.

Name

loveLife

Legal name

The New loveLife Trust

Website

https://lovelife.org.za

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

loveLife is a South African non-profit organisation that delivers youth health promotion, HIV prevention, and peer education programmes to young people aged 10-24 across all nine provinces of South Africa, using the groundBREAKERS peer-to-peer model and a national Y-Centre network funded by government, corporate, and foundation grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Health Promotion Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Individual and Family Services (6241), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Health & Support Communities (BPAMABAL)

Keywords

• Youth peer education
• HIV prevention programmes
• Sexual reproductive health
• Youth development services
• Adolescent health education

Headquarters

HQ city

Sandton

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Government Grants and Partnerships: Primary funding from South African government departments including Department of Health and Department of Sports, Arts & Culture for implementation of HIV youth prevention interventions and youth development programmes.
2. Corporate Sponsorships and Donations: Funding and support from corporate sponsors including ACWA Power, Anglo American, Volkswagen South Africa, Otraco Southern Africa, and others for Y-Centre construction, youth programmes, and community initiatives.
3. Foundation and Trust Funding: Grants from foundations including Sishen Iron Ore Corporation Community Development Trust, Old Mutual Foundation, UNFPA, UNICEF, and Terre Des Hommes Schweiz for specific youth development and health programmes.
4. Individual Donations: loveLife accepts cash contributions, one-time donations, and resources (building materials, books, computers, printers) from individuals via EFT or credit card.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

loveLife is a South African non-profit youth organization that delivers health promotion, HIV prevention, sexual and reproductive health education, and leadership development to young people aged 10-24 across all nine provinces. Its core offering is the groundBREAKERS peer-to-peer education programme (supported by the Mpintshi entry-level pathway and Alumni Programme), delivered through a national network of Y-Centres, schools, adolescent and youth friendly clinics, sports hubs, and complemented by media products including UNCUT Magazine, The Purple Couch video series, podcasts/radio, and the #AskMizzB Q&A platform.

Product overview

loveLife is a South African non-profit youth organisation established in 1999 as a joint initiative of NGOs, private foundations, and the South African government. The organisation operates as a platform delivering youth health promotion programmes through a multi-product approach. The core offering consists of the groundBREAKERS peer education programme (launched 2001), supported by the Mpintshi Programme (entry-level training pathway) and Alumni Programme (bridging to employment). These are delivered through a national network of Y-Centres (physical youth centres) and complemented by media products including Podcasts & Radio, The Purple Couch video series, and UNCUT Magazine. The organisation's programmatic work is organised under the PMD Unit umbrella, encompassing Healthy Lifestyles, Active Lifestyles, Psychosocial Services, and the Boy Child Initiative. Supplementary digital services include #AskMizzB (health Q&A) and the National School Championships Winter Games (sports outreach events).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• groundBREAKERS: Youth peer-to-peer education programme launched in 2001, one of the most recognized youth programmes in South Africa.
• Mpintshi Programme
• Alumni Programme
• Y-Centres
• UNCUT Magazine
• The Purple Couch
• #AskMizzB

Products and services

• groundBREAKERS Peer-to-peer youth education programme in which trained young leaders aged 19-28 deliver HIV prevention, health promotion, life skills, and leadership development directly in schools, adolescent and youth friendly clinics, sports venues, and communities across South Africa.
• Mpintshi Programme

Quantifiable outcome

• Reached more than 300,000 young people in schools through modular programmes
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Department of Health (South Africa)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership with the Department of Health for implementation of HIV youth prevention interventions, including peer educators through groundBREAKERS and Mpintshis, and live Chat Groups to facilitate dialogues and information sharing among youth.
• Department of Sports, Arts & CulturecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration in accordance with the District Development Model throughout all nine provinces. Partnership allows loveLife messaging at sport and recreation events, providing access to large youth audiences and enabling sport to play a role in social change and youth leadership development.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Childline South Africa: National non-profit providing counselling, psychosocial support, and child protection services for children and youth in South Africa. Closely comparable on psychosocial/wellbeing support services for young people.
• Save the Children South Africa: International child-rights NGO with South African operations delivering education, health, and protection programmes for children and adolescents. Comparable donor mix, governance structure, and youth-health focus.
• Ikamva Youth: South African non-profit providing tutoring, mentoring, and youth development programmes to high-school learners from disadvantaged communities. Comparable target population (10–24 year olds) and school-based delivery model in South Africa.
• Beyond Zero: Successor to the Soul City Institute, this South African NGO drives social and behavioural change on health and gender issues using mass media and community mobilisation. Comparable focus on youth sexual/reproductive health and health-promotion media (TV, print, digital).
• Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator: South African non-profit focused on youth unemployment and work-readiness. Comparable on the employability/skills pathway for out-of-school youth, complementing loveLife's Alumni Programme offering.
• Restless Development: International youth-led development agency operating in multiple African countries including South Africa. Uses a peer-educator model very similar to loveLife's groundBREAKERS, targeting young people on health, livelihoods, and civic participation.
• NACOSA: South African networking organisation working on HIV/AIDS, TB, and related social determinants. Overlaps with loveLife on HIV prevention, youth-targeted behaviour change, and government-funded community health delivery.
• Marie Stopes South Africa: Reproductive health provider operating clinics and outreach services across South Africa. Comparable in addressing young people's sexual and reproductive health needs, though more clinical and less peer-education oriented.

Broad incumbents

• UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund): UN agency delivering global programmes on sexual/reproductive health and youth. loveLife is an implementing partner of UNFPA, and UNFPA's broader portfolio (policy, country-level programming) overlaps directly with loveLife's mission.

Others

• Department of Health (South Africa): Government department that funds and partners with loveLife to deliver adolescent and youth-friendly clinic services and HIV prevention. As a buyer/funder rather than competing service provider, included as a key ecosystem counterparty.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/loveLifemedia
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lovelife

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 loveLife