AMANDLA is a home for social brands that drive solutions for people and planet. We design, incubate, develop and implement ground-breaking social innovations that address the world’s most pressing issues and advance a more equitable, prosperous world for all.
From designing award-winning platforms for youth development, to scaling alternative models for inclusive economic development, AMANDLA solutions are geared towards systemic change. We recognise that social and environmental challenges are among the most severe facing our world today, which is why we focus on solutions that effectively address these issues.
AMANDLA accelerates social change by building bridges, forging cross-sector collectives, and championing bold ideas for shared progress.
Safe-Hub is an award-winning platform for youth and community development, designed and developed by AMANDLA. Established in South Africa, Safe-Hub has expanded internationally, with active sites in Germany and the United States, and new sites in development in India and Côte d’Ivoire. As of 2024, there are 14 Safe-Hubs in operation with 6 additional sites in development.
Together with the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA), AMANDLA co-initiated the DBSA DLABS Precinct Model for community development in South Africa in 2021. Each DLAB precinct offers services and programmes that support education, health and recreation, as well as job creation and inclusive, local economic development. As of 2024, there are 4 DLABs in operation with 4 additional sites in development.
Guided an ambitious vision for the development of vibrant township economies, AMANDLA, Safe-Hub and our partners at the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) and Merchants joined forces in 2021 to open the first-ever call centre in a South African township. This groundbreaking initiative not only creates local jobs but also strengthens the circular economy, as each centre taps into the services of local Small, Medium and Micro-Enterprises (SMME) and introduces new businesses to the community. The project also contributes to the financial sustainability of Safe-Hub and DLAB operations. To date, the project includes three state-of-the-art contact centres, located in Jabulani and Alexandra, which service domestic and international clients including Makro, DoorDash and international financial institutions.
We are a global team of passionate and determined social entrepreneurs, practitioners, and innovators who believe that true progress is collective. Working across 4 continents, we bring diverse backgrounds and a range of expertise to AMANDLA.
AMANDLA was established in 2007 by Florian Zech and a team of local and international volunteers in Khayelitsha, South Africa. It has since evolved into a social business with a global vision, led by Florian and Joint-Managing Director Jakob Schlichtig and their team.
Over the years, our efforts have been widely recognised. AMANDLA’s Safe-Hub Model has been endorsed by the United Nations Office on Sport for Development and Peace as a global best-practice for youth development. We are proud recipients of numerous prestigious awards, including the Beyond Sport Award, celebrating our significant social impact.
We envision a world that values people and planet over profit. As a team, we firmly believe that businesses can do well while doing good. We collaborate across sectors to explore and design game-changing, scalable solutions that drive collective progress.
Florian Zech is the founder of the internationally acclaimed social enterprise AMANDLA Social Enterprises. He is the Co-Managing Director of AMANDLA globally and in South Africa, leading the global Safe-Hub® rollout. In his role, he has linked the Safe-Hub scaling in South Africa with the DBSA’s National DLAB Programme as conceptualizing and initiating implementation partner of its national rollout.
Florian was awarded the Medal of the Order of Merit from President of the Federal Republic of Germany as one of the youngest Germans ever to receive this honour. He was also awarded the Ashoka Fellowship, which identifies and supports the world’s leading social entrepreneurs.
Florian studied Sport Management at the University of the Western Cape, South Africa.
Jakob Schlichtig is co-leading AMANDLA Social Enterprises and Safe-Hub globally with a focus on an Operations, Finance, People, Marketing and general Business Services. He holds a degree in Business Studies from the University of Regensburg, Germany.
Before joining the social enterprise sector, he worked in the media and entertainment industry on several projects for national German TV stations. As part of the founding team of AMANDLA he was driven by the ambition to enable positive social change while developing Safe-Hub to become one of the leading solutions in holistic youth and community development.
South African Non-Profit
Registration Number: 077-589-NPO
HRB Number: 28062