In a major boost for grassroots development, Seriti Institute CEO Juanita Pardesi has won the South African CSI Legacy Award for Best Woman 2026. From strengthening early childhood development to helping small-scale farmers thrive, her work is a powerful blueprint for fighting unemployment and food insecurity.
Seriti Institute is proud to announce that its chief executive officer, Juanita Pardesi, has been honoured with the South African CSI Legacy Award for Best Woman 2026.
Presented at the 2026 South African CSI Legacy Awards, the award recognises her outstanding leadership and her contribution to creating sustainable social and economic change across South Africa.
Awards often celebrate achievement. The most meaningful ones celebrate influence. This recognition honours not only Pardesi’s accomplishments, but also a philosophy that has shaped Seriti Institute’s work for years – one rooted in the belief that sustainable development begins by investing in people’s potential.
At a time when South Africa continues to seek lasting responses to unemployment, inequality and food insecurity, Pardesi’s approach offers a powerful example of what development can achieve when people are equipped with opportunity, skills and agency. Her leadership has consistently focused on creating the conditions for communities to build stronger, more resilient futures for themselves.
Recognising leadership and innovation
The award recognises a leadership approach that combines innovation, collaboration and measurable impact, demonstrating how people-centred development can create lasting social and economic change through strong partnerships and community-led solutions.
For Seriti Institute, this milestone represents far more than an individual achievement. It reflects the dedication of every member of the Seriti team, whose commitment, innovation and passion have helped create lasting impact across South Africa. It also recognises the trust placed in Seriti by its board, partners, funders and communities. Together, these relationships have enabled the organisation to create opportunities that endure long after individual interventions have come to an end.
The award reflects the impact of programmes that have transformed lives across South Africa. Under Pardesi’s leadership. Seriti has pioneered innovative models, including aRe Bapaleng, which is strengthening parenting and early childhood development; Work.Learn.Grow and the Multi-Functional Agri-Node model, which are creating sustainable livelihoods for small-scale farmers; and GreenWorks, which is preparing young people for the green economy.
Through its implementation of the National Youth Service and Social Employment Fund programmes, Seriti has created more than 16 000 work opportunities over the past four years.
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Together, these programmes demonstrate Seriti’s integrated approach to development – connecting employment, food security, early childhood development, climate resilience and enterprise into sustainable pathways that enable communities to build their own futures.
The recognition also reflects a growing understanding across the development sector that meaningful progress cannot be achieved through financial investment alone. It is built on trust, strengthened through genuine collaboration and sustained by leaders who recognise communities as partners in shaping solutions rather than recipients of assistance.
Celebrating collective commitment
For Pardesi, success has never been measured by projects completed, but by the opportunities created for others. Her work continues to demonstrate that the most enduring impact is achieved when institutions work alongside communities, enabling people to shape their own futures with confidence and dignity.
Reflecting on the recognition, Pardesi said: “I am deeply honoured to receive this award, but I accept it on behalf of the entire Seriti team, our board, partners and the communities we work alongside every day.
“Meaningful change is never created by one person. It is built through trust, collaboration and a shared belief that every community has the potential to thrive.”
Juanita Pardesi
While the award honours Juanita Pardesi’s leadership, it also recognises the collective commitment that has brought Seriti Institute’s vision to life. It celebrates the dedication of the organisation’s management and staff, the trust of its board and partners, and, most importantly, the resilience and determination of the communities whose stories continue to inspire the work.
Recognition of this nature also brings renewed responsibility. It challenges all those working in development to move beyond short-term interventions and invest in solutions that are locally owned, economically sustainable and capable of creating lasting value. Ultimately, legacy is not measured by visibility or accolades, but by what continues to flourish long after the work itself has been completed.
The South African CSI Legacy Award for Best Woman 2026 recognises one leader, but it celebrates something much greater – a shared commitment to creating opportunities, strengthening communities and building a South Africa where every person can thrive. That is the legacy Seriti Institute will continue building for generations to come.
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