The DGMT Learning Lunch

Gender-based violence is a national disaster in South Africa, reflecting the scale and urgency of the problem that has social, public health and economic costs. Preventing violence before it happens is a critical part of building safer communities in the long run. This means investing in the social conditions that shape behaviour, relationships and how boys and men understand power, respect and ma...

https://dgmt.co.za/what-science-tells-us-about-babies-brains/The first 1 000 days of life — from conception to age two — is a once-in-a-lifetime window to shape physical growth, brain development, health and the foundations of future learning. During this time, nutritious food for mothers, optimal infant feeding practices, access to healthcare, income support for pregnant women living in poverty,...

What would it take for every child in South Africa to grow up with enough food, love, safety and brain power to reach their full potential? A new national strategy aims to make that vision a reality. The National Strategy to Accelerate Action for Children (NSAAC) approved by Cabinet in December 2025, sets out the country’s top 10 priorities for improving the lives of children and teenagers. It ide...

Civil society organisations, particularly community-based organisations, are often on the frontlines of responding to complex social challenges. Yet, they face a host of obstacles that limit their impact. Many are under-resourced and overstretched, relying on small teams to deliver programmes, fundraise and manage administrative tasks without access to adequate training, systems and leadership dev...

Owning books can change a child’s life trajectory. This is a profound statement rooted in evidence from research around the world. Toddlers who are read to learn more words, aiding their ability to speak and read when they start school, and children who read for enjoyment perform well academically. The advantage of owning books is significant — children with books at home have the edge on children...

Youth development practitioners often focus on the supply and demand side of unemployment: greater investment in skills development and quality education on the one hand, with job creation and economic growth on the other. However, in South Africa, a country with high rates of poverty and inequality, we often miss an important part of the conversation — the experience of poverty on a young person’...

Mobile apps are designed to simplify and digitise almost every aspect of our modern lives. You can buy groceries from your couch, order take-out, catch a ride within minutes, or find a date online. Apps are not only convenient, but they have the potential to solve real-world problems, which is why civil society organisations are turning to technology to magnify the impact of their work. In recent...

South Africa has a constitutional responsibility to uphold children’s rights. The government does this in different ways, by setting laws, delivering public services, allocating funding from the national budget and by taking decisions that affect children’s lives. What’s been missing for a long time is a shared vision for all children and teenagers which effectively places their interests at the c...

There is no safe amount of alcohol consumption for teenagers. Early binge drinking has long-term consequences on brain development, health and wellbeing. It also stokes social problems as teens lose interest in school, engage in risky sexual behaviour and find themselves in dangerous situations. Alcohol advertising contributes to this. Young people are influenced by marketing so much that research...

What comes to mind when you hear the term ‘social protection’? For many, it’s social grants or government assistance programmes. But at its core, social protection is a safety net that keeps people from falling deeper into poverty, benefiting individuals and society.  In South Africa, even though this principle is embedded in the Constitution, there are still gaps in our social protection system....

Strategic litigation is a tactic that involves going to court to promote social change or human rights. This approach targets specific legal barriers that affect entire communities, aiming to reshape laws, policies or practices. But when is strategic litigation the right tool for an NGO? In some cases, it's essential when there's a clear legal violation that requires judicial interventio...

Civil society is a vibrant ecosystem of interest groups, activists, advocacy groups and organisations delivering a range of social services. These groups are often the first to design and test interventions, learning from their successes and failures, and staying closely connected to the communities they serve. They conduct research, gather evidence, and develop innovative solutions to pressing so...

In the world of policy change, timing is everything. According to political science scholar John Kingdon, a significant policy shift happens when three things are in place. First, the problem must be well understood. Second, there must be a viable and feasible solution ready to address that problem. And third, there must be political will to deal with the problem. When these conditions are met, a...

Imagine if solving unemployment was as easy as creating more jobs or ending food poverty by producing more food. It's never that straightforward. In South Africa, around 3 million young people aged 15-24 are not in education, employment, or training (NEET), facing vulnerabilities that deepen when their situation remains unchanged for long periods. Wicked problems like youth unemployment are c...

In recent years, non-profit organisations (NPOs) have grappled with dwindling donor funding and reduced support from government departments, affecting their ability to provide crucial social welfare and development services to communities. These organisations are part of a care economy that supports children in places of safety, people living with disabilities and the elderly, to name just some of...

Social and economic incentives are powerful tools to motivate and influence behaviour in individuals, communities and organisations. Social incentives often involve recognition, belonging, or social approval, while economic incentives typically involve financial rewards, discounts, or tangible benefits. They have the potential to drive positive actions and encourage participation in activities tha...

Community-based organisations (CBOs) are non-profits operating at the local level, albeit with limited resources at their disposal. They tend to be reliant on volunteers, responsive to the unique needs of their community and best placed to diagnose problems and identify solutions with residents. Many are financially excluded from donor funding because they operate in rural and far-flung areas with...

Imagine a world where every child is loved, nourished, and protected—where they are read to, and encouraged to be curious. In this world, children don't just learn well, but they thrive, and so does the entire country. Nobel Prize Winner for Economic Sciences, James Heckman said: "Early childhood development is the most powerful investment in human capital that a country can make." ...

Civil society organisations are a catalyst for innovation and positive social change in communities – filling gaps in service delivery. To be effective, these organisations must be agile and able to adjust their programmes and products to meet the needs of their communities. Sometimes this means going back to the drawing board, rethinking programme delivery, and iterating to achieve desired outcom...

Civil society organisations, in their form and function, are distinct from corporations and the state. But this doesn’t preclude them from using programmes and strategies that are also used by governments and businesses to shape societal outcomes. Running a fellowship programme is an example of this. Generally speaking, fellowships are funded, short-term opportunities, focused on professional, aca...

If you work in civil society or the socioeconomic development sector, you have probably heard, or used, the term “community ownership” because it aligns with broader goals of promoting social equity, empowering local communities and sustainable development. Community ownership goes beyond passive involvement or consultation and aims to empower communities to actively participate in decision-making...

Many civil society organisations (CSOs) have placed promoting active citizenry at the core of their strategies. Generally speaking, active citizenry refers to individuals participating in the social and political affairs of their communities to promote equity and inclusion, improve living conditions and hold elected officials accountable. The role of civil society organisations in building an enga...

Gender norms are shared beliefs, ideas and expectations about how men and women are supposed to be and act, according to a classification system that categorises people as either male or female, known as a gender binary. These social principles are internalised from a young age and can shape people’s livelihoods and life chances by giving boys and men the advantage over girls, women and other gend...

Civil society organisations and innovators are rightly concerned with scaling their interventions to reach more people. In the socioeconomic development sector, terms like scaling up , out and deep are commonplace. But depending on who you speak to you may get a nuanced interpretation of each term. For instance, ‘scaling up’ typically refers to output, but it could also mean impacting laws and pol...

Mobile technology has the potential to transcend structural divides and enhance access to services that could accelerate socioeconomic development. However, apps and digital offerings that could link marginalised groups to much-needed resources are not being used effectively because prepaid data is unaffordable to most South Africans. Yet, if they had access to the information and services offered...