We are Wendy Hendler and Rozanne Sack, co-founders and co-directors of Koleinu SA, South Africa’s pioneering Jewish organisation dedicated to breaking the silence around abuse, protecting the vulnerable, and creating safer communities. “Koleinu” means our voice, and that is at the heart of our mission: to ensure that no cry for help goes unheard.
Our organisation operates across four pillars: prevention, awareness, training, and support. We bring our child-protection programmes, SchoolSafe and TeenSafe into Jewish and broader South African schools, giving children the language and confidence to speak out when something doesn’t feel right. We train medical professionals and allied medical professionals, educators, shul and community leaders to identify red flags and respond appropriately and ethically. Our public awareness campaigns during Child Protection Week and beyond have shifted the communal conversation, while survivors and their families rely on us for compassionate support and guidance.
What makes our leadership unique is the way we blend personal experience, professional expertise, and strategic vision.
Wendy brings her background as a counsellor and coach, combined with her lived experience as a survivor of abuse. Her courage to transform personal pain into public advocacy inspires countless others to reclaim their voices and to believe in the possibility of change.
Rozanne contributes her expertise in marketing, project management and community leadership, as well as her lived experience as a survivor of abuse, ensuring that Koleinu’s programmes are not only empathetic but also structured, sustainable, and impactful. Her vision translates into innovative campaigns, robust partnerships, and practical systems that embed protection into daily communal life.
Together, we have created a model that is both deeply Jewish and universally relevant. Our work reflects pikuach nefesh (safeguarding life), tzedek tzedek tirdof (pursuing justice), and kol Yisrael arevim zeh bazeh (our shared responsibility for one another). These values guide every workshop, campaign, and conversation we lead.
We believe we were nominated for the Investec Jewish Achievers Awards because our work takes on issues often shrouded in silence and stigma, and because we have shown that even in the face of discomfort, transformation is possible. Abuse is not an easy topic for families, schools, or shuls to address yet we have built the credibility, trust, and platforms that allow these conversations to happen in safe, constructive ways.
What would make us worthy winners in the eyes of the judges is not only the measurable impact of our programmes, but the courage to bring taboo issues into the light, the resilience to sustain this work despite resistance, and the innovation to design initiatives that change the way communities think and act. Winning this award would amplify the voices of survivors, honour the bravery of children who speak up, and inspire other leaders to prioritise safety and dignity in their spheres of influence.
For us, achievement is not measured in profit or prestige, but in lives safeguarded, dignity restored, and futures reclaimed. This is the legacy we strive for every day at Koleinu SA, and it would be a profound honour to have this recognised by the Jewish Achievers Awards.
Vision:
For Ourselves – As women in leadership, our vision is to keep growing as courageous, compassionate, and innovative leaders who model how challenge can be turned into change. We aim to mentor and inspire the next generation of Jewish women leaders, showing that resilience, empathy, and integrity are the foundation of true influence.
For Our Organisation – For Koleinu SA, our vision is a future where silence around abuse no longer exists. We aspire to expand our prevention curriculum nationally, ensuring every Jewish school, shul, and communal institution embeds safeguarding practices as a non-negotiable standard. We envision Koleinu as a recognised centre of excellence in protection and advocacy by designing innovative programmes, training professionals, and spearheading policy development and implementation so that abuse is not only addressed but actively prevented.
For South Africa – Our vision for South Africa is of a country where protection, safety and dignity are accessible to all. We believe children should grow up free from fear, and that communities must take responsibility for protecting the vulnerable. We see leaders across sectors modelling accountability, compassion and strategic change. Through awareness and survivor-centred advocacy, we believe Koleinu can help South Africa become a place where survivors of abuse are believed and supported and perpetrators are held to account.
Our vision is bold but grounded in Jewish values: tzedek (justice), chesed (kindness), and pikuach nefesh (protecting life). For ourselves, for Koleinu, and for South Africa, we seek to transform these values into action leaving a legacy of safety, dignity, and hope for generations to come.