ESD initiatives Archives

Celebrating African women in artisanry and craftsmanship

ESD & Social Entrepreneurship, ESD initiatives / Chris Buchanan

The 2023 Handmade Contemporary Fair recognises African women artisans and their contribution to the luxury economy Africa’s premier artisanal luxury fair, the upcoming Handmade Contemporary Fair (HmC Fair), is taking place from 1-3 September at Melrose Arch in Johannesburg. With over 90% of the 100 artisans displaying their craftsmanship and design being women and the

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Supporting lifelong learning through mentorship

ESD & Social Entrepreneurship, ESD initiatives / Chris Buchanan

The FirstRand Volunteers programme was launched in 2003 to facilitate and support employee community involvement. The programme provides employees from across the group with the opportunity to make a real difference by matching their time and monetary donations to their chosen registered organisation or school. CSI – Human Face of Business Governed by clear guidelines,

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The importance of ‘Township Economies’

ESD & Social Entrepreneurship, ESD initiatives / Chris Buchanan

‘Township economy’ refers to enterprises and markets based in the townships. These are enterprises operated by township entrepreneurs to meet primarily the needs of township communities and therefore can be understood a ‘township enterprises’ as distinguished from those operated by entrepreneurs outside the townships. How big is the township economy? An estimated 17% of South Africa’s

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YES surpasses 100,000 jobs mark

ESD & Social Entrepreneurship, ESD initiatives / Chris Buchanan

Private sector funded non-profit, the Youth Employment Service (YES), has deployed 100,000 young South Africans into the private sector within just four years. With most of these youth coming from disadvantaged backgrounds, they have the chance to not just change the course of their lives, but also that of the country, says YES chief executive

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Pizza Hut gives young women a slice of the pie

ESD & Social Entrepreneurship, ESD initiatives, Programmes, Social Impact / Chris Buchanan

Pizza Hut has partnered with the Youth Employment Service (YES) to launch LeadHERship, an initiative to address youth unemployment and gender inequality in South Africa. The program targets women aged between 18 and 24, where almost two-thirds of individuals in this age group are not economically active, with over 70% female. LeadHERship provides these women

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Agriculture career spotlight

ESD & Social Entrepreneurship, ESD initiatives, Programmes, Social Impact / Chris Buchanan

Bayer supports Agricareers roadshow to showcase career opportunities in agriculture. While the official unemployment rate has eased marginally to 32.7%, South Africa’s unemployment rate is still one of the worst in the world, with 7.8 million people unemployed. Even more concerning is the country’s youth unemployment. Accounting for over half of SA’s employable population, this

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Once a chainsaw operator – now a grower

ESD & Social Entrepreneurship, ESD initiatives / Chris Buchanan

Enoch Mathenjwa’s journey in forestry goes way back – nearly four decades back to a different time in South Africa. In 1983 Enoch got his first job in forestry as a chainsaw operator for Shell Forestry in KwaMbonambi. Little did he know that he would eventually own 40 hectares of his own lush forests, scattered

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Will smart townships and informal settlements bridge the digital divide?

ESD & Social Entrepreneurship, ESD initiatives, Social Impact, Thought Leadership / Chris Buchanan

South Africa’s failing infrastructure and local service delivery has been well-documented in recent years. Failing infrastructure has an outsize impact on township and rural communities with the growing digital divide in townships fuelling inequality. Townships were never designed to become major economic drivers, with the result that today they are characterised by high rates of

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ESD initiatives

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