Our Vision
Township Trades is a start up social enterprise based near Khayelitsha township in South Africa. Our aim is to answer the urgent needs of young adults who are impacted by HIV and poverty. At Township Trades we believe there is a choice; we can abandon Africa’s young people to a life dependent on charity and government aid or we can provide them with the business skills to become independent through trade. Welcome to Township Trades.
We are a South African registered section 21, not for profit, organisation.
Who set up Township Trades ?
Township Trades was initiated by Chris Shaw in 2006 and joined by Lucian & Beverley Russ in mid 2007. We have been self funded to date with help from private individuals.
What are our core values?
Ethical customers have a strong appetite for natural products that can provide employment and training in developing countries.
Africa’s greatest natural resource are its people.
Hard working people benefit greatly from employment and training opportunities.
The best way to empower people is give them real business experience and high quality mentoring as well as providing the relevant skills.
Who do we train?
We specialise in training talented 18-25 year olds who are; impacted by HIV/orphaned / head of households / disadvantaged. We are currently working with people from Khayelitsha Township within Cape Town.
What makes us different?
We aim to give talented people an opportunity to gain valuable real business training. Through an actual two year programme focusing on the following training areas; real work experience, business operations, business English, life skills, employment skills, computer & IT skills, business confidence, mentoring.
Our programme will be funded in the longer term by the community business that we all are a part of. This fosters independence as the trainees will be able to say at the end of the programme that they effectively created there own opportunities and up-liftment.
Lack of paid substantial quality work experience and access to practical business training is one of the major factors limiting peoples opportunity.
What is our vision for the future?
We aim to use surpluses in our community business to launch other similar social enterprises as well as giving grants to our graduates to start their own business.
How can you get involved?
We can get involved on a number of levels. We are looking for commercial orders to supply liquid and bar soap for the UK and South African markets. This includes supplying corporates clients and schools with soap for the own washroom facilities.
A number of organisations are interested in a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) package where they can sponsor a trainees and receive liquid soap for there own use.
We also would like to hear from individuals who have networks in UK or SA who can help us to market and communicate TT to others. As well as individuals with IT / PR/ Marketing /Legal / Accounting/ Business / production skills etc.etc All help will be gratefully excepted.
We also are looking for donations of money to enable us to operate until our commercial orders are in place.
Any donations of IT equipement or furniture would be helpful in our workshop.
Comments»
Hi to everyone at Township Trades!
I want to thank you for your fantastic hospitality when I visited you last week (remember Ross and Simon?). I thoroughly enjoyed my visit, especially meeting all of you and learning about your project. What you have created together is inspirational and magical. I wish you so much success in the future. If there is anyway I can help and support you, please count me in.
Best wishes to all of you
Much love
Ross x
love the website….and all the information and stories…pray God will bless you!
And i am also very excited to become one of your outlets in cape town.
lize
This is such a wonderful thing to do for the disadvantage people. I am planning to do the same in my community.
All the best