Lefika La Phodiso - The Art Therapy Centre

Africa’s first

Lefika is Africa’s first Art Therapy Centre, born in 1993 out of a critical need to respond to the effects of trauma from political violence in the final years of Apartheid in South Africa.

Today Lefika works to better the lives of those individuals, families and communities affected by abuse, crime, poverty, xenophobia and HIV AIDS. This work predominantly takes place within Johannesburg’s townships and inner city where the levels of these problems are amongst the very highest in the world.

Our impact

By training educators and community workers in psycho-social group skills and providing direct community support Lefika is enabling key groups to become more able to deal proactively, responsibly and empathetically with the issues in their communities. Lefika’s aim is to reduce violence and violent crime, dependence, poverty and premature death.

Each year Lefika trains an average of 300 educators and 150 community workers with a conservative reach of 22 500 community members. Our direct counselling programmes support 150 young people on an ongoing basis each year.

Art Therapy matters

The use of art helps people to express themselves.Lefika’s use of Art Therapy in South Africa is hugely successful because it overcomes language and cultural barriers and is a highly effective way of engaging those affected by traumatic experience. In a country where counselling resource and skills are scarce, the use of Art Therapy accommodates large numbers of people and is cheap to implement.

Lefika’s goal is to improve lives and communities in South Africa by increasing reach and access to psychosocial support.

Not for profit

Lefika generates some income from private and public sector training which is used to sustain the organisation and deliver our outreach community programmes. However the extent of Lefika’s impact is dependent on the financial support we receive from donors and partners.

Lefika’s Services

Training and development: Lefika works consistently with the South African Departments of Education, Arts and Culture and Psychosocial Services to deliver training and development programmes, from one day workshops to one year foundation courses.

Lefika also facilitates tailor-made programmes, from team building to basic counselling skills, for corporate and private clients on request.

Counselling: Lefika establishes and facilitates groups in response to needs it is able to identify within local communities.

Lefika also facilitates sessions for many children and adult NGOs and charity organisations such as Childline, Teddy Bear Clinic (abused children) and ECHO (HIV/AIDS). Individual and group sessions are tailored for each client need.

Crisis intervention: Lefika is able to mobilise its network of trained counsellors to respond to crisis as in May to September 2008, working under UNICEF in the Safe Shelter refugee camps to help 900 individuals affected by xenophobic violence.

Volunteering: The Lefika Collective is a group of educators, therapists, counsellors, artists and the general public who give their time to improve the lives of individuals and communities through Art Therapy.

Professional support: Lefika offers supervision and CPD (Continuing Professional Development) training to practicing art therapists, counsellors, social workers, psychotherapists and occupational therapists.

Reviving Communication workshop - Exploring Art Psychotherapy as a powerful process of self discovery and applied practice

28 - 31 October 2011
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Art4Lesotho is a creative education initiative in Lesotho that focuses the delivery of Arts counselling as well as education to enhance literacy, life skills and health education for orphans established by Australian artist Kate Finnila.

Luke Wilkinson visits the children in the Chef Works & Lefika La Phodiso 'Colouring Life' Holiday programme

Read the story: Australian Daily Telegraph and on the Australian Volunteers International Website

For further information and to view the the other 49 finalists visit http://www.ipc-undp.org/photo/