The Usapho Indlu staff: Joshua (from left), Happy, Madelaine, Nezzy, Veronicca, Thandi, Sally and Osman.
Together, our heart is to serve local community.
Usapho Indlu aims to uplift and empower.
Our Story
In February 2021, Sally Versfeld and Neziswa Matiso, felt called by God to work in a specific street in Thembalethu, a township in George, South Africa. This was the birth of Usapho Indlu. Sally and Nezzy had worked closely together in the NGO sector for over 10 years. In this time, they both ministered to children and youth. They felt a tugging from God to broaden their focus to households and families, specifically with the households living in a specific area: one home, one street, one community and one nation.
Nezzy and her friend Siphokazi had always cared for the children in their neighbourhood and they knew the Lord wanted them to expand the work to include the families of these children. The work would start with individual households, uplifting and empowering them to find their own unique identity and purpose and to empower them to rise over and above their circumstances.
God loves relationships and the family unit is so important in His Kingdom, but in many areas the household unit is dysfunctional, hurting and trying to survive in circumstances that are extremely difficult. God showed Nezzy and Sally the potential. He told them to see these households through His eyes, and to break through the barrier of pain, unemployment, and tragedy. He prompted an urgency to build relationships with these households by coming alongside every member and assisting them to deal with their own unique situations.
“As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” – Joshua 24:15
2021 Starting Points
USAPHO INDLU was registered as an NPO with 3 staff members and a strong board who are actively involved in the daily running of the organisation. In addition to this, several volunteers and intercessors have joined and provide effective support.
Staff and volunteers registered to do a 10 month study called Transforming Society, a training which would provide a greater perspective of working with others and focusing on sustainability in the community, through market place, business, and significant partnerships.
The team were introduced and trained on the Greenlight Movement, which enabled staff and volunteers to do household surveys that provide precise data and give a clear indication as to what each family unit is dealing with.
The team commenced with a pilot programme to meet the specific needs of each member of each household in its one street and to track a pathway for them to overcome their hopelessness. This includes their spiritual, physical, emotional and mental health.
Projects and programmes have commenced to provide training and equipping to meet the needs of individual’s pathways to victory and success, whether they are a young child or an adult in the home.
A partnership has been formed with The Cracked Pot Foundation in Los Angeles, who will assist with funding from business communities. Usapho Indlu will in turn become a social concern for them as they reach out to impact the Nations.