Seriti Institute has been named a finalist for the 2026 CSI Legacy Awards in the prestigious Best Woman in CSI category, recognising the extraordinary leadership of Juanita Pardesi, Chief Executive Officer of the Seriti Institute. This nomination celebrates not only her personal journey of courage and conviction but also the organisation’s outstanding contribution to community-driven development and sustainable livelihoods across South Africa.
With over 33 years of experience in the development sector, Juanita Pardesi has become a beacon of integrity and empowerment within the CSI landscape. When she took over the reins at Seriti, the organisation was facing near closure. Through visionary leadership, strategic innovation, and an unwavering belief in the power of people, she transformed Seriti into a national force for social impact. Today, under her stewardship, Seriti has created more than 16,000 work opportunities, strengthened food security, and driven community-led change across nine provinces.
Juanita’s philosophy is grounded in one central idea — that work, not handouts, transforms lives. This principle underpins all of Seriti’s initiatives and continues to guide its mission to build resilient communities. Her approach is pragmatic yet deeply human. She believes that when individuals are equipped with the right skills, support, and sense of agency, they can shape their own futures and contribute meaningfully to society.
The organisation’s entry for the awards, the Deelpan Multi-Functional Agri-Node (MFAN) in North West province, stands as a living example of this vision in practice. Once a struggling rural community, Deelpan has been transformed through Seriti’s support into a vibrant hub of food production and enterprise. Through the National Youth Service and the Social Employment Fund, more than 1,700 local residents have received training in agroecology, entrepreneurship, and green jobs. This initiative not only creates immediate work opportunities but also cultivates long-term sustainability by linking small-scale producers to local and regional markets via the innovative Community Fresh App.
The success of Deelpan has made it a model for rural renewal — demonstrating how well-designed public employment initiatives can evolve into lasting livelihood programmes. It embodies Juanita’s belief that social investment should go beyond temporary relief and focus on creating enduring value for communities. By combining practical work experience with skills development and enterprise creation, Deelpan is helping to rewrite the story of rural poverty into one of possibility and progress.
What makes Juanita Pardesi’s leadership particularly distinctive is her ability to merge heart and strategy. She leads with empathy but insists on accountability and measurable impact. Her work reflects a rare blend of social consciousness, business acumen, and systems thinking — ensuring that every initiative under Seriti’s umbrella contributes to sustainable, scalable change.
Seriti Institute, established in 2009, continues to play a vital role as a connector between government, business, and civil society. It demonstrates that meaningful development happens when communities are trusted and empowered to lead. With a small, mostly youth-led team, Seriti leverages partnerships, innovation, and good governance to achieve tangible social and economic outcomes.
Juanita’s recognition in the Best Woman in CSI category is therefore much more than a personal accolade — it is a testament to the collective spirit she embodies and the communities she serves. It highlights her role as a trailblazer for women in leadership, proving that compassion, resilience, and integrity can be powerful drivers of transformation.
As the 2026 CSI Legacy Awards approach, Juanita Pardesi and the Seriti Institute stand as powerful examples of what can be achieved when leadership is rooted in purpose and people are empowered through work. Their journey is a reminder that true legacy in CSI is not defined by projects alone, but by the lives changed and the futures made possible through them.
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