Challenge project brings viable solutions to SA ills
For two weeks, the group will tackle issues ranging from entrepreneurship, period poverty, waste management, sports, and life skills.
A GROUP of 14 aspirant leaders from around the world are in the country to help find profitable, sustainable, and innovative solutions to societal challenges. The project, South Africa Challenge, aims to equip the youth with goal setting and development leadership skills that they set out for themselves.
Project coordinator, Pamela Bijl, said while the project is a platform for change in communities, participants also get to improve themselves and learn invaluable lessons. “Everyone takes something that they’re really are passionate about because we believe in that way you understand why you’re doing something. It’s a huge driving force to ensuring that we go the distance in achieving goals as from those passions, we support them in understanding what the causes are and what the bigger picture is, and we start brainstorming possible solutions and tackling some of the challenges that the communities face,” she explained.
For two weeks, the group of youngsters will tackle issues ranging from entrepreneurship, period poverty, waste management, sports, and life skills, where they are tasked with visiting various communities in Durban and surrounds to ‘test drive’ their ideas and implement solutions in mostly impoverished areas. Hosted by Bluff based engineering company, David Swartz Engineering Services (DSES), the group consists of students and entrepreneurs from Mozambique, Thailand, United Kingdom, Mauritius, India, Belgium, Nigeria, and Slovakia.
“It’s also about creating a space where people can test their ideas and feel safe failing but thinking big. In life, sometimes, we have great ideas but we’re afraid because maybe the consequences mean losing money but on this programme, we say think big, work hard, and if you fall it’s a safe space to fall and learn from those experiences to then go on and do big things in everyone’s own countries,” Pamela added.
Project coordinator, Gregory Janssens, said although they are in the country for only two weeks, leaving something lasting is another challenge in itself. “We try to use the project as a medium for us to grow and experience, and while participants are working on their projects they’ll try to implement something sustainable to make sure that we’re giving back to the community. We use these projects to work on our personal skills and make sure we build it to a certain point that it’s sustainable,” he said.
Director at DSES, David Swartz said his involvement with the group is supporting local people which is the core purpose of his business. “It was an absolute privilege for us to host SA Challenge. Special thanks to public relations officer, Mark Taylor, because he brought this to our attention. To the team, I’m moved and humbled that it takes youngsters from overseas to come and do what we can do, in saying that, I’m further inspired to see what we can also do. We’re going to go back again to their projects to see how much as a company we’re able to allocate. If we have to sum it up, it’s all about changing lives which ties in with our company’s saying, PWP: Projects with Purpose,” said David.
South Africa Challenge has been grown and led by young people who understand the need to find profitable, sustainable, and innovative solutions to societal challenges while recognising that other young people need a supportive platform from which to develop and test ideas. The non-profit leadership and personal development programme collaborates with local businesses and partners to see their projects through. Visit www.southafricachallenge.co.uk to find out more.
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