South Africa

Promoting and strengthening youth entrepreneurship

Many young people in South Africa struggle with poverty and various health risks. With our partner organisation Thandanani, we give them the training they need to set up micro-enterprises, which helps to improve their future prospects.

Hear from the people on the ground

“I started small selling homemade fries. The training programme taught me a lot about business and finances. I’m now developing my business further, a step at a time. One thing is certain: if you really want to succeed, this programme can help you enormously. I am living proof that anything is possible.”
Portrait Jugendlicher Projekt Südafrika - terre des hommes schweiz

Xolani Mndali
, 20 years old

Background

Despite national economic growth, profound social inequalities in South Africa mean that a largeproportion of the population, particularly young people, live in poverty and have no prospects of work or income. In our project region, many young adults are unemployed. These precarious conditions make not only their economic development but also their social and health development considerably more difficult. The situation is made worse by high HIV rates, violence and teenage pregnancies, which have a further impact on young people’s future prospects.

Project goals

The aim is to make it easier for young people to participate in local economic development and to improve their long-term income situation.

Project activities

  • Income projects: We equip young people with the skills they need for their income projects and help them to set up and run their own businesses.
  • Health: We teach young people about their sexual and reproductive health and their rights.
  • Involving the families: We help family members to support young people with developing micro-enterprises and accessing health services.
  • Community participation: We encourage community members to promote youth enterprise and support young people’s sexual and reproductive health and rights.
  • Partnerships with institutions: We work together with institutions, including service providers, local leaders and businesses, to promote youth enterprise and personal development and young people’s health.
Xolani Mndali ist zufrieden: «Eines ist sicher: Wer wirklich will, dem kann dieses Programm weiterhelfen. Ich bin der lebende Beweis dafür, dass es möglich ist.»
Xolani Mndali ist zufrieden: «Eines ist sicher: Wer wirklich will, dem kann dieses Programm weiterhelfen. Ich bin der lebende Beweis dafür, dass es möglich ist.» Foto: Mawande Kheswa

The people we have helped

Around 1,000 young people, 1,680 family and community members and 20 institutions are benefiting from our work in the current project phase.

Our partner organisation

Thandanani works on issues such as strengthening the family, early years support and youth development. The organisation was founded in 1989. terre des hommes schweiz has been supporting Thandanani since 2022.

Location of the project and current phase

The project is being implemented in the communities of Dambuza and Snathing, suburbs of Pietermaritzburg. The current project phase is running from 2024 to 2026, with an annual budget of CHF 69,000.