Tell me about ForAfrika and what it does.
ForAfrika is the largest indigenous humanitarian NGO on the continent. Last year we reached 2.9-million people in the six countries where we operate, each with its own unique and complex challenges.
In SA we address the high levels of youth unemployment from its foundations, early childhood development. We partner with more than 3,000 preschools in all nine provinces, providing 120,000 children with a nutritious daily meal and working to make them excellent places of learning.
What is your role as country director for SA?
My role is to oversee all our operations under our board and to lead and inspire our teams across the country to do their part in serving crèches and communities. I also need to encourage fellow South Africans to support our cause and invest in early childhood development.
What do you think makes you good at your job?
I was born and raised in Soweto in the kind of communities we serve. I know about the challenges many in these communities face: the lack of options and opportunities for the youth to succeed. I am also someone who benefited from extraordinary opportunities that many in my community still do not get.
After Nelson Mandela was released in 1990 I was in the first group of black children who got an opportunity to attend a top white school in Johannesburg. This gave me the opportunity to go to university, live and study further overseas.
I have never forgotten where I came from and I have dedicated my life to using the privileges I have received to serve marginalised communities
I have never forgotten where I came from and I have dedicated my life to using the privileges I have received to serve marginalised communities.
What did you want to be as a child?
While I was growing up it was illegal to say the name of Mandela. However, we were told many stories about him in hushed tones.
I wanted to be like him, in that he took on the injustices his community faced. He equipped himself by studying law at Wits so he could understand the country’s legislation and defend the rights of the vulnerable.
I also went to study law at Wits, but after graduating took a different turn. I went on to study theology to understand the law behind the human laws. I believed this would make me even more useful in my community.
You mentioned SA's high youth unemployment rate. What is your advice for young people looking for work?
Youth unemployment is at a scary 65 to 75%. This means an overwhelming majority of youth looking for work cannot find it. This puts us at great risk as a country because those with the most capacity to work are not able to. That hope which is deferred can lead to negative energy.
My advice to young people is that working may look different today from the traditional ways they were taught in school or what they saw from previous generations. Our communities need the skills and the knowledge you have and there are opportunities for those with a plan:
- Go out there and serve — expose yourself to different environments by serving wherever help is needed, according to your interests;
- Provide value where there is a need. Initially it might not come with pay, but keep thinking about how to monetise the value you provide;
- Remember, there is a good living to make in the informal sector; do not be ashamed of that kind of work;
- Provide a quality service all the time and always serve people with a smile. People will start talking about your good work and this will grow your networks and markets; and
- Learn about new technologies being applied in your field.
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