CDII began the way most lasting things do — with people choosing to show up for each other.
Community Development Initiatives International NPC was registered in 2012, but its real story is one of relationships that came first and structure that followed.
Together we are stronger
That's been CDII's working motto since the beginning — not as a slogan, but as a description of how the work actually gets done. A diamond forms under pressure, over time, through partnership between carbon and circumstance. We've always liked that as a metaphor for community development: nothing brilliant happens alone, and nothing happens quickly.
From early partnerships in Jamaica in 2012, through World AIDS Day campaigns, Mandela Day commemorations, and grassroots sport days across South Africa, CDII's approach has stayed the same — find the people already doing the work, and build the partnership that lets them do more of it.
The people behind the partnership
A non-practising Advocate by training, Don brings the legal and governance discipline that keeps CDII's programmes — including SmartCommute™ — compliant, transparent, and built to last. He works alongside Leffler & Partners Legal Advisory Services on CDII's compliance programme.
A driving force behind CDII's community and conservation partnerships, Mapula brings the on-the-ground relationships that turn programme plans into real outcomes for real communities.
Louw serves as CDII's Information Officer under POPIA, overseeing how the organisation handles personal information across every programme — from donor records to SmartCommute™ payroll data.
Full board composition, governance structure, and compliance history are published in our Governance & Good Practice hub.
See the work this partnership has built
From the Soshanguve ECD Centre to SmartCommute™, every CDII programme starts with the same question: who's already doing good work here, and how can we help them do more of it?
See our work