AMASOJA Leadership Initiative

Young people leading change in Gugulethu

The Amasoja Leadership Initiative is a youth leadership programme based in Gugulethu, Cape Town. It supports young people as they navigate the transition into adulthood by strengthening leadership, confidence, purpose and opportunities to contribute positively to their communities.

The initiative is implemented through a partnership between the Swedish non-profit organisation Contribution to Opportunities (CTO) and the South African organisation Call 2 Care (C2C). The programme is funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), enabling a long-term investment in locally led youth leadership and community development. Together, we combine international partnership with locally rooted leadership and community ownership.

Where it all began

Contribution to Opportunities (CTO) was founded in Gugulethu, Cape Town 2014, with a simple belief: lasting change happens when local leaders are trusted, supported and given the opportunity to grow.

A few years later, CTO met the group that called themselves Amasoja.

At the time, Amasoja was not a formal organisation or programme. It was a group of young people who had grown up surrounded by gang violence, drugs and poverty. Frustrated by the violence in their community, they had taken it upon themselves to protect their neighbourhood, often through vigilante actions and confrontations with local criminals.

CTO recognised something deeper.

Behind the anger was leadership. Behind the frustration was commitment. These young people wanted to create a safer community—they simply lacked positive tools, guidance and opportunities.

Instead of fighting crime with violence, with the help of CTO, they began learning how to create change through leadership, responsibility and community engagement.

That transformation became the beginning of Amasoja as we know it today.

The meaning of Amasoja

The name Amasoja comes from the phrase "I'm a soldier."

Not a soldier fighting people—but someone who chooses to fight against hopelessness, violence, addiction, poverty and the belief that nothing can change.

As one of the young leaders expressed in the documentary, ”Our Pride”:

"The change starts with me."

That idea continues to shape the programme today.

Growing together

Between 2017 and 2020, CTO and Amasoja worked closely together to strengthen youth leadership in Gugulethu.

Together they organised leadership activities, tutoring, creative projects, excursions, sports events and community initiatives. Young people who had once been seen as part of the problem gradually became role models for younger children.

Amasoja also developed two interconnected focus areas.

The first supported young people who had already left school or were struggling with challenges such as crime, substance abuse, unemployment or mental health. The second focused on younger learners who were still in school, helping them stay engaged in education while building confidence and positive aspirations for the future.

Throughout this period, the vision remained the same: to help young people become leaders capable of creating change within their own communities.

A period of change

Like many organisations around the world, CTO was deeply affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

International travel stopped, local activities became difficult to sustain and the original organisational structure gradually dissolved. Although the programme continued on a smaller scale through local engagement in Gugulethu, many of the larger activities had to pause.

The vision, however, never disappeared.

The relationships remained.

And so did the belief that Amasoja still had an important role to play.

A new chapter

In 2025, work began to reimagine the future of Amasoja.

Together, CTO and Call 2 Care developed a new long-term partnership and designed what is now the Amasoja Leadership Initiative—a structured leadership programme that builds on everything learned during the previous years while responding to the needs of young people today.

Today, the initiative focuses primarily on young adults aged 20–25, who participate in a year-long leadership programme while mentoring younger learners aged 15–18 through a weekly after-school programme.

The curriculum is built around four stages of development:

Grounding & Belonging
Direction & Decision-Making
Responsibility & Leadership in Practice
Transition & Next Steps

By combining personal development, mentoring and practical leadership experience, the programme aims to help young people discover their own potential while becoming positive role models for others.

Looking ahead

The Amasoja Leadership Initiative continues to evolve, but its purpose remains unchanged.

We believe that every young person has the potential to become a leader when they are given trust, guidance and meaningful opportunities.

By investing in young people today, we hope to contribute to stronger communities tomorrow.

Watch our story

The documentary "Our Pride" tells the story of how CTO first met Amasoja and follows several of the young people whose lives shaped the initiative.

Although the film captures a particular moment in time, the hopes, challenges and dreams it portrays remain at the heart of the Amasoja Leadership Initiative today.