The Umhlali Project
The Umhlali Project is an early crime and violence prevention project based in Walmer Township, Port Elizabeth.  The Umhlali Project is a joint undertaking between the Centre for Justice and Crime Prevention (CJCP), The University of Cape Town’s Gender, Health and Justice Research Unit (GHJRU), and Masifunde Learner Development (MLD). The Umhlali Project has secured international donor funding until 2020 from the Human Dignity Foundation and Comic Relief.

The Goals of the Umhlali Project
The Umhlali Project has the overarching goal of designing, implementing and evaluating an early crime and violence prevention project that can be replicated in other areas.  The Umhlali Project focuses on the following intervention areas:

  1. Individual people
  2. Schools (from preschool to high school)
  3. Families
  4. Communities

Umhlali Project Components

School safety
  • National School Safety Framework training
  • Mentoring and coaching schools on implementing the NSSF
  • Extra-curricular programmes such as art and drama
  • Substance use and abuse workshops and talks for learners
  • Substance use and abuse workshops for staff and parents
  • Child protection training for staff
  • Protective measures sessions with grade 2 learners

Family services
  • Family and individual counselling
  • Parenting skills workshops
  • Holiday clubs
  • Homework clubs
  • Home visits
  • Support groups
  • Teen parents services
  • Substance use and abuse workshops and talks
  • Positive masculinities workshops for boys and men
Early Childhood Development interventions
  • Assistance with registration with the Department of Social Development
  • Training of staff on:
    • Child protection issues
    • Early childhood development issues
  • Implementation of a toy library
Out of school youth
  • Career guidance and advice services
  • Lifeskills workshops
  • Vocational skills training
  • Substance use and abuse workshops and talks for learners
  • Career expo
  • Focus groups 
Research
The project is supported by extensive research, such as:
  • Household surveys
  • Learner surveys
  • Educator and principal surveys
  • Focus groups
  • Random control trials
  • Intervention pre and post testing