The Khulisa Ubuntu Foundation uses skills development, food drives and community outreach programmes to help residents build sustainable livelihoods and restore dignity.

Established in 2025 by pastors Ashley and Ashen Naidoo, the foundation recently launched its Grace to Grow skills conference with the Women in Dominance group on August 22.

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The event brought together entrepreneurs and skilled individuals to showcase their work and share practical knowledge with aspiring business owners, with some participants winning gifts and a holiday.

Ashen said Grace to Grow was established as a continuing initiative aimed at offering entrepreneurs a platform to network and educate others on their products while also responding to South Africa’s unemployment crisis. “We can’t be just speaking; we have to do something,” she said.

The inaugural conference featured entrepreneurs who demonstrated their skills and shared their journeys, including the challenges and lessons encountered while building their businesses.

Rather than simply displaying products and handing out contact details, exhibitors provided practical demonstrations and answered questions from attendees during a question-and-answer session, where gifts and a holiday giveaway were also made available.

Some entrepreneurs said their skills were developed informally through family members, while others received training or learned from other skilled individuals before turning those abilities into income-generating ventures.

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Ashen said the foundation makes the conferences free because the exhibitors do not charge for their participation.

The foundation plans to continue Grace to Grow as part of its broader effort to equip residents with practical skills while creating opportunities for entrepreneurship and economic participation.

Speaking on August 28, Deliverance and Dominion Ministries Pastor Ashley said the initiative was driven by a need to address unemployment and economic inequality through practical community interventions.

“My wife and I saw a need in the communities and places around Midrand. We saw a greater need right here in Midrand, where we want to help communities restore dignity and transform communities as best as we can with the hands that come together,” he said.

Ashley said the foundation runs monthly community projects, including feeding schemes, clothing drives and skills development initiatives.

He concluded that the goal was to help people overcome some of the barriers that can prevent them from accessing employment opportunities.

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