THE high rate of unemployed young professionals in South Africa prompted three Durban women to unite and launch their non-profit organisation, Intuthuko CES, to help disadvantaged communities and individuals in need.
The organisation’s co-founders, Zinhle Nzuza, Thembeka Mabaso and Nonhlelo Kunene, who recently graduated in civil engineering at the Durban University of Technology, believe their initiative can inspire young people to look beyond unemployment by using their skills and qualifications to improve their communities and the lives of others.
ALSO READ:Degree to Disagree: The Answer to Youth Unemployment Lies in Entrepreneurship
“Communities that we offer our services to are rural informal settlements and townships. We also help the unemployed with skills development focusing on social justice and bridging the infrastructure gap to these communities,” said Kunene.
They said the idea started at a school desk while they were revising a solid waste test.
“We just said since the possibility of us getting jobs after graduating is very slim, let’s try and use our qualifications and our skills to help the community. We noticed that we, who live in urban areas, have access to better services than those in rural areas, townships and informal settlements,” said Nzuza.
She added that people needed to know that civil engineering was one career that dealt with people and the type of services provided to them had a direct impact on the quality of their lives.
“There are a lot of unemployed people. If we see that someone needs to renovate their RDP house why don’t we bring people from that community to us and do the estimates, do site visits and check all the standards that need to be met,” she said.
The duo is now on a mission to ensure they create a better South Africa for everyone.
“We would appreciate it if the community can assist us. People can volunteer, especially the unemployed youth. If you are in civil engineering, you need to practice what you have studied in order to get a professional registration you need to show that you have participated in projects,” said added.
In keeping with Women’s Month, the duo said they plan on inspiring young female students who are still deciding on their careers.
“Don’t limit yourselves because we are in a male-dominated industry. Most of the time you would think you are not going to make it in a certain industry because it is dominated by males. Go in there with full force, determination and work hard towards your dream and goal. We need to change that stigma,” said Kunene.
The team is also requesting assistance from the community to help them find a place to use as their work place. They also require work equipment, licences for software and other donations to help them accomplish their goal.
Do you want to receive news alerts via Telegram? Send us a message (not an sms) with your name and surname to 060 532 5535. You can also join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. PLEASE NOTE: If you have signed up for our news alerts you need to save the Berea Mail Telegram number as a contact to your phone, otherwise you will not receive our alerts Here’s where you can download Telegram on Android or Apple.
