It’s important to surround yourself with the right people, says social entrepreneur
By Kate Douglas, 30-04-2014
In 2005, 14-year-old Neftaly Malatjie looked around his
community in Diepsloot, a poverty-stricken settlement in the north of
Johannesburg, South Africa, and decided he wanted to help.
He noticed that a lot of young people in his community were moving
towards a life of crime and substance abuse, trapped in the cycle of
poverty. At the time Malatjie was part of an acting school in Soweto and
realised he could keep young people, including himself, busy with
positive activities. So he started a drama and theatre group.
This small initiative turned into Diepsloot Youth Project, a
non-profit community training centre that has since trained around 1,500
people in various skills, from computers to entrepreneurship to life
skills such as applying for jobs and career counselling.
“There was a need for training within the community because people
had to travel to the cities and towns which are way too expensive for
them and some could not afford the courses offered by higher
institutions and universities. So we have provided training for those
young people for free or at a rate that they can afford,” Malatjie told How we made it in Africa.
Other courses, such as the accredited computer training course, cost a
small fee, which is used to pay the salaries of the staff employed by
the Diepsloot Youth Project. The organisation also relies on volunteers
and donations and, according to Malatjie, assists around 117 people on a
weekly basis.
“The happiest moment for me is going into my centres and finding the
centres so full of people receiving different kinds of services.”
Last year Malatjie was selected as one of 12 finalists for the Anzisha Prize, a competition which recognises entrepreneurs
across the African continent between the ages of 15 and 22 who are
using entrepreneurship to solve problems in their communities. He was
also the recent recipient of an award from the Rand Water Foundation.
Making it as a social entrepreneur
Since the age of 11, Malatjie has worked as a preschool teacher, peer
educator, HIV/Aids counsellor, drugs awareness facilitator,
library assistant, learning and development advisor and afternoon care
coordinator.
Now at 23 years old, Malatjie believes that the reason he took a
positive direction with his life – instead of following many of his
peers into a life of crime and substance abuse – was because he
surrounded himself with the right people early on. He added that the
lack of role models for young people in communities such as Diepsloot is
a major concern, and he advises aspiring entrepreneurs to seek advice
from those who have made it.
“Young people need to learn from the people that are already
established. They need to understand how those people got to where they
are. They need to always remember that starting a business doesn’t mean
you need to have money. In starting a business you need to have an idea
and you need to associate yourself with people that have already been in
the game,” he continued.
“I associated myself with people who I know have made it in life. I
got to listen to what is it they have been through to get to where they
are at the moment.”
According to Malatjie, the biggest business lessons he has learnt
include the importance of delivering a service that leaves clients
satisfied, and being careful when it comes to spending money. “You need
to be careful especially when it comes to money because a lot can go
wrong. Especially when you are really young you always think of big
salaries and lots of spending.”
His future plans include offering more courses and expanding to other areas in South Africa where community youth training is both desperately needed and lacking.>>>
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