Newsletter 2017 12

School business progress

Youth Advisory Board 2017

Sixteen learners from Amajuba schools gathered for the 2017 Youth Advisory Group where they presented their business information, shared wisdom, learning and advice, and gave each other encouragement. What is exciting was to hear youth want to expand the project outside of the boundary of the current schools, and requested that it should be expanded to other schools – where some learners have friends – so that all young people can gain knowledge and skills about planning and implementing a business.

“ I strongly recommend that this programme never ends but keeps on helping other learners and spread this programme to even older entrepreneurs. I would like to see this programme help many people who want to start a business and educate themselves based on business skills, key success factors and entrepreneurial qualities” - Anonymous 2017 learner

Meet Zenande—EEESAY’s inspirational young female entrepreneur

Zenande is a 16 year old, Grade 9 pupil raised by a single parent with her 3 siblings. She’s also a proud member of her rural community in the Eastern Cape. Zenande’s community has limited resources but she and her school business team found a great market opportunity and started an internet café. Through this business, they provide the community with access to online information and basics such as affordable printing and photocopying. Zenande says this type of business will not only help their team acquire the business knowledge and skills but will help other learners with their homework and further studies. Zenande has also increased her environmental knowledge EEESAY; ” I really value the environment and have decided to be an example to the others by doing even simple things such as picking up papers.” Her school Nompumelelo High also participated in a competition hosted by the Department of Environmental Affairs on how to live in harmony with the environment. Her school, won second place and walked away with R17500!

When it comes to what’s next for Zenande, she says ‘the EEESAY programme has changed my mind on what I want to be. Initially I wanted to become a teacher but now I’m motivated to be a businesswoman. One of the girls in school said business people are mostly males and I said ‘watch me I will be a female entrepreneur!’”

The EEESAY newsletter will be sent out quarterly. If you have news to share, please email us at sue .spies@wessa.co.za or Sanelisiwe@teachamantofish.org.uk

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