The Journey Begins: 2005
In 2005, just eleven years into South Africa’s democracy, founding Director Jabulani Pereira purchased land in Rosendal, Free State. This act was deeply personal and political – Jabulani’s grandparents’ homes were demolished by the Apartheid government in 1960 under racial segregation laws.
"Rosendal means valley of the roses. Acquiring the land was the first step to planting the seed for queer and trans community connections."
From Vision to Reality: 2022
During the COVID-19 pandemic, a second piece of land adjacent to the first became available and was acquired with the support of friends. In 2022, in consultation with the community, Nurture Retreat and Wellness Center was formally registered as an NGO.
About Us
Nurture Retreat and Wellness Centre is a sanctuary rooted in care, rest, and community. Created with a bold intention to affirm wellness, particularly for LGBTIQ individuals, activists, and creatives, Nurture Retreat and Wellness Centre offers a space to replenish and reconnect.
We foster interconnectedness through practices of self-care, collective care, and resilience building. Our aim is to nurture a supportive environment where people can gather, grow, and learn together; centering wellness as both a personal and communal act of transformation.
Brand Values
At Nurture Retreat and Wellness Centre, we root our values in interconnectedness, safety, reciprocity, and affirmation. Inspired by Ubuntu, we honour our shared humanity and connection to the earth. We create a safe and supportive space where vulnerability is met with care, and healing is held by trusted practitioners. Through reciprocity and compassion, we foster a culture of generosity and mutual support. We boldly affirm bodily diversity, cultivating a space free of shame where self-love, confidence, and restoration can flourish.
INTER- CONNECTEDNESS
Ubuntu recognises that our existence and our humanity is shared. We believe in the wholeness of each other and ourselves and those around us which binds our connection to the earth.
SAFETY & RECIPROCITY
We create a safe, supportive space, held by trusted practitioners, where vulnerability is welcomed. Rooted in compassion and reciprocity, we foster a generous, caring community grounded in mutual solidarity.
AFFIRMING / AFFIRMATION
Forstering a space where bodily diversity is affirmed is our key priority. We believe in creating a space that is absent of body shaming and harm, and boldly allowing us to take courage, have self- love, be confident and heal.
Nurture Retreat and Wellness Centre is a space for individual and collective healing through dialogue, workshops and affirming bodily practices that connect us to ourselves, the community and environment.
We envision a world where queer bodies have space to rest, heal, and rejuvenate, a world where we are interconnected in our collective care of the environment and our common humanity.
![DSC_0857 [conflicted 2]](https://nurtureretreat.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/DSC_0857-conflicted-2-scaled.jpg "DSC_0857 [conflicted 2]")
A space rooted in our values
Our Team
Founding Director
South African trans man with over 30 years of experience as a movement leader, strategist, and facilitator. Founded Iranti in 2011, an African Trans, LBG, and Intersex rights organisation using media and storytelling for human rights advancement.
Board Member
I am a scholar whose career has spanned universities in South Africa, the United States, and Germany, with a focus on gender, sexualities, and African queer studies. My work engages both academic and community spaces, building transnational connections while remaining attentive to the contexts of the Eastern Cape and Bahia, where I am currently exploring ways of living and grounding my practice. Alongside my scholarly commitments, I am deeply interested in community, sustainability, and practices of care. Planting and growing food has become an important part of how I learn to take care of myself and contribute to collective wellbeing.
Board Member
Zi is non-binary, a feminist, dedicated to building healthy movements. Zi overseas Nurture's financial compliance. Over the past years Zi has worked at Iranti for over a decade and is currently based at Pan Africa ILGA.
Board Member
Sylvester Kazibwe is a trans man, researcher, and Human Rights Defender with over 10 years of experience in LGBTIQ+ advocacy and programming. He is a program strategist and movement builder, possessing extensive expertise in developing and executing interventions for gender and sexually diverse populations, particularly those operating in challenging legal and political climates.