i-LEAD delivers free, mobile, and scalable prevention programmes across shelters, schools, tertiary institutions, communities, and organisations. Inclusive, adaptable, and accessible regardless of age, physical ability, or socio-economic context.
Frameworks refined over 13 years — part of a global sisterhood network spanning South Africa, USA, Spain, Belgium, and Thailand.
Equipping individuals with life skills, safety capability, and confidence before harm occurs.
Brand South Africa Play Your Part Award — 2021 Women Empowerment Award.
Integrated programmes addressing violence prevention across age groups, abilities, and environments. All community workshops are free.
Prevention-focused personal safety training — awareness, confidence, verbal assertiveness, and physical response as a last-resort survival option. Free community workshops available; private and corporate sessions also bookable.
Community & PrivateSafety programmes for persons with disabilities — a community disproportionately targeted for violence and exploitation. Weekly classes available in 2026.
Inclusive · 2026 PriorityAge-appropriate safety and confidence education for children aged 3–8 years. Awareness, personal boundaries, and safe decision-making.
Ages 3–8Educational interventions addressing bullying, intimidation, and early violence-related behaviours in school environments.
SchoolsRisk awareness and response education for vehicle-related crime — one of South Africa's most prevalent and dangerous threats.
SafetyA layered personal and family safety approach — situational awareness, decision-making, and crime avoidance in high-risk environments.
AdvancedTrauma-informed breathing and movement to support emotional regulation and decision-making under stress. For survivors and high-stress environments.
WellnessVirtual training classes available online — expanding access to shelters, remote communities, and anyone who prefers to train from home. Pricing varies by programme.
OnlineCapacity-building equipping participants to deliver prevention-focused safety education within their communities. Creates paid facilitation pathways.
CommunityFrom a single incident in 2012 to a nationally recognised NPO with internationally applied frameworks.
i-LEAD programmes prioritise early risk identification, de-escalation, and escape. Physical self-defense is strictly a last-resort survival option — never the first response.
In August 2025, i-LEAD delivered free self-defense training to approximately 140 girls in Freedom Park, Soweto. Three weeks later, a 10-year-old participant narrowly avoided abduction by two older youths.
Using the skills and awareness she had gained, she broke free and reached the safety of a nearby church — who ensured she was safely returned home.
"This illustrates the preventative and life-saving potential of early, skills-based intervention."
The network Risha has built across borders is proof that the need for empowerment is universal. Each partner brings her own culture, language, and strength — together they form one sisterhood with one mission.
"Empowerment knows no borders. Every woman who learns to protect herself makes her whole community safer."
— Risha Patak-Harie
Every donation funds free workshops, safety equipment for attendees, and expanding our reach to shelters and rural communities. 100% goes directly to programme delivery.
🔒 Secure payment via PayFast · Visa, Mastercard, EFT accepted
ILead Self Defense · NPO 218-034 · Section 18A tax certificates available on request
