Funding your future
JOBURG - Awethu Project is offering young, budding entrepreneurs the opportunity to get their business off the ground and soaring with success.
Lack of training and funding for entrepreneurs trap South Africa in a cycle of unemployment and poverty, but Awethu wants to help South Africa thrive by empowering locals.
Based in bustling Braamfontein, the company was founded by Yusuf Randera-Rees in 2009 after he recognised the need in South Africa for SMME funding programmes.
Randera-Rees grew up in apartheid South Africa, but persevered in his studies and later ended up completing his tertiary education at Harvard University. It was there that he realised that South Africa has people who have talent equal to those at Harvard and Oxford. The only difference was that people in South Africa were not being given the opportunity to achieve their potential.
His journey – and the start of the company – began when he headed into Alexandra township to convey the message of Awethu Project and its offering of world-class resources for aspiring business owners.
The company, which began with only R60 000 in start-up capital, has expanded to a multi-million rand organisation in a matter of six years.
Recently, the company teamed up with the Government Jobs Fund and is offering the most committed entrepreneurs the opportunity to win one of 250 scholarships, each to the value of R45 000.
The 250 winners will take part in a six-month training programme which will require them to have an up and running business within the first month. Over the following five months, the top 10 percent of graduates will be eligible to receive an equity investment from Awethu’s investment fund of up to R250 000.
Details: awethuproject.co.za; facebook.com/AwethuProject or @AwethuProject
