More on #Awethu

Vivek & me in the shared work space for Ent. businesses

I feel like I’ve been working with The Awethu Project much longer than 1 week. I think that’s because their company culture, similar to South African culture, really makes you feel welcome and a part of a family. Vivek, Soichiro and I are working on a project for Awethu helping to advise them on their expansion strategy. However, Awethu is a very young organization so we have to be careful to balance their current historical data against the qualitative data we are receiving from employee interviews. In a nutshell, we are focusing on increasing their percentage of lead conversion (sales leads > applications submitted to incubator program > accepted entrepreneurs > revenue). I know why SAP placed me on this project; it’s eerily similar to what I do on a daily basis, except the end-businesses we are soliciting to differ slightly (Fortune 500 Oil & Gas companies vs. food stands).

Brainstorming session with the sales teams

Quick coffee stop with Yusuf, Dale, Vivek,
(Soichiro not pictured) and me at Father's coffee

Awethu’s model is completely built on trust. The sales team goes out and finds potential entrepreneurs on the streets of Johannesburg and the surrounding areas. Any entrepreneur who is interested in receiving the services of the business incubator must go through a special selection process in order to be accepted into the program. The only requirement for application in Awethu is that they are under-resourced. Once they are accepted into the program, there is a deferred funding model thus eliminating the barrier to entry for any person(s) interested in either a) improving an existing business or b) getting a new business up and running. After the entrepreneur is accepted into the program, they are assigned a business coach who sets up rigorous requirements for their business helping to provide structure and stability for their operations. Each coach currently works with approximately 20-30 entrepreneurs. So take this scenario for example:

Joe owns a mobile pie shop and is making R500 (rand) a month. Minimum wage in South Africa means that you have to be bringing in at least R1500 a month (~$9 = R100). Joe comes to Awethu to help him put together a better marketing strategy, setup budgeting, work on creating a better network of suppliers and customers, etc. Awethu, and its coaching staff in particular, help Joe get his average monthly wage up to R1500 that month. Although profits have gone up R1000, Awethu doesn’t take a cut because the entrepreneur is just reaching minimum wage. The next month, Joe’s profit goes from R1500 to R2500. At that point, Awethu takes 50% of the profits earned (or 50% earned over minimum wage) as deferred payment for the services they are providing to the entrepreneur. Therein lies part of our project – How do you get the entrepreneur, who has likely had very little education, to understand that the reason he/she is able to increase profits is because of the skills and services they are receiving from Awethu? Furthermore, how do you retain the entrepreneurs in the incubator long enough to create a long-term growth strategy for their business wherein the entrepreneur will create more jobs for South Africa? How do you help the entrepreneur realize that his/her success is really a shared success with Awethu and with South Africa?  

Awethu has grown their organization from 3 entrepreneurs to hundreds in the past year. It is the only program of its kind to offer business incubation services to anyone who is willing to work hard. Awethu’s goal is to create an additional 400 jobs by the end of the year by working with their current entrepreneurs. In other words, their goal is to help their current team of entrepreneurs grow their businesses so they can hire additional workers, multiplying the impact they are making on their community. 

After work on Friday, we stayed downtown for a cocktail to get to know the team better. We hopped in a cab around 9 to head back to Sandton. Our driver’s name was Sipho (See-Po). We told Sipho that we were in town for a month working with Awethu. He said to me, “Sister – Yusuf saved my life.” (Reminder – Yusuf is the founder & CEO of Awethu).

“I used to work for Quick Cab. And one day I was dispatched to pick up Yusuf through the dispatcher. I gave him my card and he continued to call me to pick him up. One day he asked me how much I got paid to drive this cab. I told him I didn’t get paid, I had to pay R4000 to drive the cab each week. He asked me why I didn’t have my own cab? So I started saving. I was finally able to buy my first car and fix it up. I quit Quick Cab and I have been driving on my own ever since. Just a few weeks ago I was able to buy my second car and I’m fixing it up now. It should be ready in a few weeks. I don’t know where I’d be without Yusuf.”

As we continue to meet and work with Awethu’s entrepreneurs around the community, I have found that Sipho’s story is quite common. It seems as though Awethu is saving lives left and right. I’m so proud to be a part of their team, even if only for a short while. I hope that I will be able to leave a sustainable impact on their operations just as they are doing for the entrepreneurial community around Joburg. 

Something new every day...

 
 
 

Blackanese, Birthday Cake & Dr. Victor and the Rasta Rebels #truth

**Note - been blogging offline due to internet issues, traveling, & illness. Hope you don't mind the catch-up posting.

Soichiro, me, Vivek & Dale - "The Team"

I woke up moving a little slower than usual today. After all, yesterday was my 30^th birthday and it was one I’ll never forget. Work day was pretty normal, except for a fabulous lunch at Blackanese Sushi, a restaurant owned by one of Awethu's high-impact entrepreneurs. He is somewhat of a local food celebrity in Joburg. After a long day at Awethu, I boarded the train 

Vivek & me on the train. I was terrified Soichiro was
going to miss the train as he was taking this pic.

from Joburg to Sandton with Vivek and Soichiro. They looked at me and said, “I bet you never thought you’d be hanging out on a train in South Africa with 2 Asian guys on your birthday. #truth

As I walked into my apartment, I found a beautiful bouquet of flowers and a bottle of champagne from my family on my kitchen table. I made a few phone calls to my honey and my mom and hopped in the shower to prepare for the evening’s festivities. Mid-shower there was a loud knock at the door. I thought the cleaning staff was probably dropping off the neighbor’s laundry again ;) I didn’t answer. The knocks continued. I turned off the shower and yelled “Hey sorry I can’t come to the door, I’m just getting dressed.” “Jen – It’s Vivek and I’ll wait.” Crap. I get out. Throw on some pj’s and run to the door. Vivek was standing there and told me it was time to go. Go where?! We weren’t supposed to meet for dinner for another hour. I told him I had to finish getting ready and he said he’d wait. Naturally. Turns out, my new friends decided to throw me a surprise birthday party complete with Running Springbok plates, party hats, balloons, champagne  
and birthday cake. The party was incredible and I was very touched. As the old saying goes, if you can’t be with the one you love then love the one you’re with. I think our entire team has found family and true friendship in one another.

Sunil, our South African host, invited us to his restaurant for dinner to celebrate my special day. He owns a fabulous south Indian restaurant in Melrose Arch (think – 90210 of Johannesburg area). He wined and dined us with the most fabulous Indian food I’ve ever had. At the end of the meal, the staff, wearing Aladdin-style hats, brought me out 2 CAKES complete with 30 candles!! Then Sunil whisked the team off to Roseland and headed to Katzy’s at the Hyatt Regency. Katzy’s is one of Johannesburg’s best live music venues and Thursday’s at Katzy’s is kind of a big deal because it features live entertainment from Dr Victor and the Rasta Rebels. Now that’s what I’m talkin’ about! Rocking out in South Africa to some Rasta Rebels on my 30^th. Now what happens at Katzy’s will remain at Katzy’s but I will share that this particular evening was the first time in a club for one of my colleagues. I’ve never seen anyone dance quite the way he did – think synchronized swimming but on the dance floor. Now don’t go thinking we got too crazy, we were home and in bed long before the sun came up. After all, I am getting older and wiser. But it was a night I’ll never forget just the same.

No big deal, just Jammin’ into a new decade with my new friends. Something new every day…

Here's Looking at You #30

It’s raining hard tonight as I sit here reflecting on my time in South Africa so far. I don’t know about you, but I find listening to the rain very comforting. In fact, when I’m at home in Chicago I sit and listen to the city rain mode on an ipad app. That basically means it has the sound of rain and an occasional fake car driving by with a honk every now and then. What can I say? I’m a city girl now. But tonight as I listen to the rain, there are no familiar sounds. The wind is blowing through the huge purple Jacaranda tree in my back yard. The Go Away birds have stopped singing (Go away birds are the birds here that literally sound like they are telling you to go away) and the Indian couple downstairs have gone to bed. 

Seeing that I’m halfway through my first work week in Johannesburg and I’m less than an hour away from my 30^th birthday, #sigh, I thought I’d take some time to catch you up on the crazy things that have happened over the past few days. So here goes nothing in no particular order…

10 Things you Should Know About My Past Week in South Africa

1)      You never know what you’ll find in your room when you come home

I arrived home from my first day of work on Monday exhausted. Talk about drinking from a fire hose, try jumping into a business plan for an emerging MGO with only 3 weeks to deliver a successful, sustainable, and implementable business model for geographic expansion. Just another day at the office here for those of you who think I’m on a vacation! As I turned the corner into my office where I keep my work clothes, I was surprised to find a man’s suit hanging on the closet door. Next to the suit was a cute dress. Next the dress on my desk was a pile of clothes including men’s socks and underwear and children’s pajamas. Last time I checked I lived in my apartment alone – or did I get married and procreate in the past 24 hrs? Turns out the missing items belonged to a lovely Indian couple who lives below me with their little boy. I knocked on her door to return the missing items and nearly scared the pants off of the woman who lives there. To Vivenda’s surprise, I was also able to deliver a 2^nd pile of clothes to her this morning that I must have missed yesterday. Hoping to go for round 3 and that she has sent something good to the cleaners tomorrow ;)

2)      Love is in the air

I’m not sure if all of you know, but I got ENGAGED just before embarking on my adventure in South Africa! The love of my life and my longtime honey, John, proposed to me at our favorite restaurant in Chicago before I departed. Although the wedding planning is on a temporary hold, my friend’s love lives are not. My very best friend called me in the middle of the night last night not realizing the time different to inform me she was engaged!!! Can’t wait to start double wedding planning with her. Although I am very happy for her engagement, I was not happy about the 3 a.m. call. Friendly reminder, I’m 7 hours ahead of CT.

And while you may think this is exciting enough, there has actually been some very interesting conversations as it relates to love with my international team here in South Africa. On Monday, our cab driver drove us to the University of Johannesburg. I asked him to turn on music he usually listens to. As he turned on the radio, there was an amazing African dance song playing. But apparently that is not the type of music he listens to, because he turned on the radio to bad early 90's R&B love songs. I guess that's one way to start a work day.

This morning my Indian teammate Vivek was walking me to the ATM and I asked him how he met his wife. Is is 29 like me and I was not prepared for his answer. He began by saying, “Jenny – I actually think you are going to find this very interesting. My wife and I had an arranged marriage.” Ok, I know what you’re thinking. Of course India still has arranged marriages, but I’ve never actually met anyone who has had one. I was very curious as to how one actually gets paired and you probably wont believe it. There is a marriage bureau in India where parents go to register their children who aren’t yet married. I can only imagine what my brothers would do if my parents put their names on a registry at the marriage bureau. Ha!

He continued explaining that they didn’t hit it off the first time they met and in fact didn’t really care for one another the first time, but their parents made them get together a 2^nd time and the rest is history. He had 7 days to accept the marriage arrangement and they were engaged and married within 6 months. What’s more, they actually select their wedding date based on their stars! Something I have jotted down to speak to John about upon my arrival.

3)      Men like reading wedding magazines as much as women do

I bought 3 South African wedding magazines tonight for our team pizza party. My man friends loved the mags as much as the ladies (perhaps more!).

4)     I like Indian food

       I celebrated a Hindu holiday yesterday called EID. Nor sure what the purpose was, but the day came complete with a homemade Indian meal from my new friend Rohit. I think I like Indian food. I still don’t have a tolerance for spices though which negates the fact that I like Indian food.

 

5)     Indians eat silver candy

In addition to having 2 colleagues from India participating on sabbatical with me, South Africa has a very strong Indian culture. More on this to come later. However, the one thing I did want to share with you is that they put silver leafing on their candy!! It’s sparkly, beautiful and delicious. Come on America, get with the program.

 

 

6)     The Jacaranda tree is the most beautiful tree I’ve ever seen

 

During the 6 weeks prior to departing for South Africa, the SAP team requires us to do 6 weeks of pre-work. Each week the prework programming focuses on a different topic (eg getting to know your team, all about SA, education & entrepreneurship in SA, etc.). The last lesson before I left the states was focused on SAP in South Africa. Our speaker pulled up the most beautiful picture of a lovely white cottage on a pond with a big purple tree out front. He explained that the purple tree was the Jacaranda tree and that it would be in bloom when we arrived. I have never seen anything like this tree in my life.  Think cherry blossoms in DC or Japan, but with purple flowers that are absolutely striking. Unfortunately, they are also very tricky because I haven’t been able to capture a good picture of the tree since I got here. As I mentioned above, there is a Jacaranda tree out my back door that I attempt to take a picture of every day, and every day the tree eludes my camera. It must be gods little trick so that they trees stay here in South Africa and remain a special treasure for locals and visitors alike.

 

7)      I met the SAP Africa CEO, Pfungwa Serima
 

Speaking of the SAP campus in Johannesburg, our new friend Sunil Geness (far right), head of CSR and Government Relations in Africa arranged for the social sabbatical team to travel to the local SAP office and meet the CEO of SAP Africa, Pfungwa Serima (4th from the left). In his role as CEO of SAP Africa - Pfungwa Serima oversees SAP’s business interests in the African Continent which is made up of 4 Regions namely; Southern Africa Region, West Africa Region, East Africa Region and Francophone Africa Region. Prior to joining SAP Africa, Pfungwa worked for other leading ICT companies such as Microsoft and Accenture and he has more than 18 years of experience that cuts across both public and private sector organizations

 

After only meeting him for an hour and if asked to describe Pfungwa in one word, the word I would use to call him is authentic. He entered the board room where we were working just past noon wearing a crisp white shirt. He has a welcome smile and commanding presence, yet makes you feel instantly at ease. Each of the sabbatical teams discussed our current local projects as well as his overall opinion on the growth of the African market. It was a fantastic afternoon.

 

And not to diminish the excitement of spending time with our African CEO, but the thing that impressed me most was actually the SAP office – it’s incredible. First of all they have internet. Now you might not think this is a big deal, but connectivity for both phone and internet has been an issue since we arrived and definitely something I take for granted back home. To describe the campus aesthetically, think about a group of perfect white cottages with huge porches, extensive landscaping, ponds and bridges, and jacaranda trees. The doors open from both sides like in star trek and you have a choice of 2 kids of water, sparking or still! Hey, it’s the little things.

 

8)     Don’t buy train tickets from any place except the kiosk machine. Why? Because that would be dumb.

I take the underground train to and from work each day. I live in the suburbs and work in the city, just the opposite of my commute back home but without the traffic. The train station is about a 10 minute walk from our apartments. On Sunday, George our local consultant, took us to buy train tickets (pics in previous blog). As he was explaining the route to us, an announcement came over the intercom. “Do not buy tickets from any persons or locations outside of the ticket window or kiosk. Why? Because that would be dumb.” End of message. I wish more American messages could be that blunt.

 

9. The Awethu Project is a remarkable organization with remarkable employees

I am absolutely thrilled to be working with The Awethu Project with Vivek and Soichiro. Not only are my colleagues incredible, but the employees and the mission of Awethu is awe-inspiring. The executive team is made up of young professionals with impressive resumes, but it’s not their resumes that impress me, it’s their willingness to accept outside feedback that I think is so incredible. I take criticism very hard, so I can’t imagine what it is like to invite 3 professionals from across the world into your organization and have them make recommendations for improvements to your operational plan. A huge thanks goes out to Dale and Kate for putting up with the 3 of us J

 

Awethu has 51 employees, has more than 500 entrepreneurs in their incubator, and are hoping to expand to reach another 1500 entrepreneurs in Johannesburg over the next year. They truly want to make an impact on their community and it shows. Their passion, dedication, and willingness to accept constructive feedback is going to get them there. I can’t wait to see where their dream will take the future of South Africa.

 

 

10. 30 is going to be a great year

It’s now 12:15 a.m. on October 17 and I’m officially 30 years old. I am lucky enough to share this special day with my Auntie Jan who I’m thinking of from afar right now. If you’re reading this, Happy Birthday Auntie J!

 

I’m not sure where the year will take me, but I’m confident that this trip is giving me the life and leadership skills to be more successful than I ever imagined. Although I don’t want this trip to end, I’m looking forward to getting home to John and ‘cheers’ing to 30 and to the rest of our lives together.

 

As you can see, the adventure continues. Something new every day...

 

 

You Never Get a 2nd Chance to Make a #1stImpression

I work with a group of kids in Chicago who attend an inner-city charter school called KIPP Ascend. Each October they come out to visit us at SAP for a Career Day during SAP's Month of Service. This year, unfortunately I'll be missing their visit, but there is one important lesson we teach our KIPPsters that I'd like to share with you, "You never get a 2nd chance to make a 1st impression." I find this phrase to be very relevant to not only this trip, but my life in general.

And so it began... 

My flight was delayed and I was the 2nd to last team member to arrive in Johannesburg (you'll also hear me refer to Johannesburg as Joburg or Jozi). After grabbing my bags and proceeding through customs, I was greeted by 2 smiling faces - my driver (pictured below) and George (pictured below). George is our local consultant which basically means he's a paid local who can help our group get acclimated to our surroundings. And did I mention he's fabulous? Just as quickly as I met George, my driver whisked me off and we started to head toward Sandton.

 
This wasn't just any regular cab ride, it was a rockin' one. If you can imagine, I asked my driver to turn on his favorite tunes and rock out with me. He happily obliged. I’m not sure who was singing, but this song became the soundtrack to my first impression of Johannesburg. As we drove through the hills and exited the interstate toward Sandton, the scenery changed drastically. We entered a shanty town called Alexandra. At first it reminded me of Antigua, Guatemala – picture a section of town dedicated to car parts and scrap metal (likely stolen). Car parts turned into dealerships, dealerships turned into car washes, and suddenly we were in the midst of a shack city. Peddlers walking down the street, brightly colored clothes hanging from the lines, and just rows of shacks made of whatever was available. The network of schools I mentioned earlier, KIPP, is located in some of the worst neighborhoods in Chicago. These neighborhoods would make North Lawndale look like Lincoln Park in comparison to Alexandra.
 
Suddenly we made a left turn and the shacks disappeared, the trees came out and we passed a beautiful park where children were playing with their parents. I remember the park because there was a huge Hyundai hot air balloon on the ground next to a huge Radisson Blu hi-rise. The balloon is still there, but I’m still not sure if it is an actual working balloon. Just past the Radisson on the right was my new home.
 
We pulled into Sandton Executive Villas just after 11 a.m. and were greeted by the security guard who had to open the gate. There is a 12” gate and cement wall surrounding the apartments where I’m staying. We got out of the car, unloaded my bags, and headed to the lobby where we were greeted by the heads of my program. I was assigned a room and headed off to find my apartment. I told my new security guard friend I could easily carry my bags (note: not a light packer) until he informed me that I was down at the end of the road in the last building on a hill on the 6^th floor walk-up. To that, I happily accepted his help getting my bags up to my room.
 
As we trekked to the top, I noticed that the smell from this building reminds me of my sister’s college apartment in Graz, Austria. It smells like a mix of Indian curry and my grandmother’s basement. But besides the smell, my apartment itself is awesome and crazy big! I’d like to say that it’s about the same size as my apartment in Chicago, complete with an open floor Kitchen/Living room concept, an office, a master bedroom and private bath. I thought I would be living in a box behind lock; I didn’t expect to find comfortable and actually pretty luxurious accommodations.
 
I had 10 minutes to clean-up and meet my team back in the lobby for a quick neighborhood tour and lunch. For a slow poke like me, that’s not nearly enough time for a shower and a nap, both of which I could have used at that point.
 
I met my team for the first time and we walked 10 minutes down the road and entered Nelson Mandela Square, also known as the Sandton city center and the biggest shopping mall around. This mall must rival the size of the Mall of America (kid you not!) and cover at least 6 city blocks. Complete with a Prada, Bally’s, Gucci, Apple store etc. – like my neighborhood and my apartment, it was not at all what I had expected to find. My team and I enjoyed a great lunch in NM Square and then headed off to the grocery story. I won’t go into too much detail about my shopping experience except to say that in this store they had an entire aisle of butter. I’m not talking about a few shelves – I mean a full Hy-Vee/Dominicks/Ukrops/Kroger aisle of butter. I guess they like their butter?

 

 
After some free time, a glass of Pinotage on the balcony, and a great dinner with new friends it was time to hit the sack. So what to tell you about my first day on Sabbatical? It was not at all what I had expected. Sandton made an incredible first impression. I’m not sure what I had expected to find, but after all of the comments fearing for my safety and my living conditions, I was beyond pleasantly surprised. The people here are so delightful, the flowering trees and gardens you find around every corner make you smile and smell delicious, and the weather is incredible (30 c’s yesterday!). I’d have to say without a doubt that my first impression of Sandton, my team and this sabbatical is absolutely 2 thumbs up. There is no need to make a 2^nd first impression as far as I’m concerned.
 
Monday we head into Johannesburg to meet our NGO organizations for the first time. So I guess I haven’t really seen Joburg yet and there is always a chance to change my mind. But for now, I’m very content and excited for the many more firsts to come.
 
Something new every day…

Conversations on the Future of Business: Unlocking Human Potential with #TheAwethuProject

October in the marketing department at SAP, is sort of like tax season for accountants. For example, this week my team executed 7 events in our region including a 700 person Oil & Gas Conference, 2 football games, 2 golf outings, and 2 stops on the Big Data Bus tour. In addition to our regular activities, it is also Fall Forum time at SAP. This year, SAP's customer forums are sweeping the nation from New York to LA under the theme "Conversations on the Future of Business". One of our sub-themes for this event series is Unlocking Human Potential and targets the HR line of business. To me, this theme really resonates with my project in South Africa and speaks perfectly to their mission.


I have been placed with The Awethu Project. Their vision? To equip thousands of young entrepreneurs from under-resourced backgrounds with the skills & resources to lead SA to prosperity. In other words, everyone has the power to do great things, they may just not have received the same access to resources growing up. (Awethu 60-second pitch) Their goal is unlocking the human potential for those individuals that reside in the under served communities in and around Joburg. My specific role as it relates to The Awethu Project is to help with an expansion plan, specifically one that includes an extensive marketing strategy.

The Awethu Project opened its doors in 2011 and started by only serving 5 entrepreneurs. Today, they serve more than 500 individuals and they hope to grow their services and reach more than 10,000 by 2020. For that, they have called in the 'big dogs' i.e. me and my colleagues Vivek (above) and Soichiro (left). Hey, we work for free and I know at least 1 of us is very bossy ;)

 
The Co-Founder and CEO of Awethu is not much older than me. Yusuf Randera-Rees grew up in South Africa and attended college at Harvard in the States. He states, “Entrepreneurs in under-resourced South African communities can compete with graduates of Harvard Business School… we just need to make sure they have equivalent training and resources”. I invite you to watch a TEDx talk Yusuf gave. He speaks much more eloquently to Awethu's story than I could ever explain it.

I can't wait to see what the Future of this business has in store for the people of South Africa. And I am thrilled to be taking part in such an amazing endeavor.

#TheAwethuProject



What does Awethu mean?
Awethu’s name is in reference to the iconic call and response of the Anti-Apartheid movement: “Amandla – Awethu”. At political rallies, leaders would start and finish their speeches by shouting “Amandla” (“Power”),with a clenched fist raised in the air. The crowd would respond “Awethu” (“is ours”). In the New South Africa, our leaders have made economic power possible through legislation and resources, but there has been no vehicle through which under-resourced people could claim that power for themselves. Awethu is providing that vehicle.

 

ORD > LHR > JNB = #RSAHereICome

I'm sitting on a bench in London's Heathrow airport and I'm soaking wet. My feet feel like raisins. I had a 9-hour layover today on my way to Johannesburg and I thought it would be a great idea to hit the town. Ran into a few issues though - lots of rain, no umbrella and the Big Bus Company bus stop at Paddington station was closed. Alas, what I had hoped would be a sunny jaunt around London seeing the sites turned out to be a soggy, expensive day.

Picture me standing at a bus stop in the rain (a tourist bus stop - not the pretty big red double decker buses) waiting for a bus that would never come. Finally, a man from the hotel I was standing in front of let me know that the street was closed and there would be no bus today. Oops.

I was finally able to snag a cab and make my way to the London Eye (see Big Ben selfie below). As my cabbie humored me with a few fun facts about my surroundings, I quickly realized I was on the same route that Will & Kate took on their wedding. As we rounded the corner to Buckingham Palace, I half expected to find Al Roker standing out front. He wasn't. There was however a blue VW Rabbit just like mine parked out front but behind the gates. I knew I liked the Royals. They just like to make you think they only drive Bentley's and Astin Martin's. Ha!

After waiting for what seemed like forever in the rain (was probably only a few minutes) I hopped onto the Ferries Wheel/London Eye and rose above the city. There was a small boy on my car from some distant land who was making a video of London with the most perfect Ryan Seacrest meets Simon Cowell commentary - "Here we go as we rise high above the Thames River. See Big Ben out in the distance behind the falling raindrops..." You get the picture. It was awesome.

Unfortunately, I have my dad's genes and I felt very anxious being so far from Heathrow with my flight departing in a mere 5 hours. So I packed up my gear, found myself another cab, made my way to Paddington Station, hopped on the Heathrow Express and headed back to LHR. 

So long London town. Hope to be seeing you again soon.

Just one more 12 hour flight to go and my sabbatical will officially begin.

#RSAHereICome

Will my UIowa Certificate in Entrepreneurship Help Bring #AfricaYouthFwd?

One of the ways each of SAP's Social Sabbatical teams prep for their journey, is to meet once a week to tackle "pre-work". During those meetings, a new part of the adventure is revealed to us. Additionally, the teams also prep for the experience by reading assigned articles, following new Twitter handles, and doing additional research on our own then presenting to our team members.

One of the articles my team read this week, I found especially thought-provoking. Tsega Belachew (@tsepeaces), contributor to Forbes, writes on 7 Trends Shaping Africa's Youth Employment Challenge: What Do Social Entrepreneurs Bring To The Conversation. They include:

1. Education as a “cure-for-all” is a myth
2. “Traditional” forms of employment are being replaced due to rapid market and opportunity shifts
3. Population growth and social inequality can be hurdles
4. The informal sector is a source of “unsustainable opportunity”
5. Rural and urban strategies present different challenges
6. Public, business and citizen-sector organizations  have a role to play
7. Unemployment frustration leads to instability

So what does social entrepreneurship bring to the conversation? "...when it comes to a grand challenge like youth unemployment in Africa, the biggest opportunities for all sectors and institutions to pave their ways of the future are at the center of the problems and the insight within the community itself."

It's really easy to say that if you throw money at a problem it should go away. But what I find so interesting, is that some of the most successful job creation programs this article outlines were created by young entrepreneurs using the problem to create solutions in very creative way.

To think that "70% of Africans are under the age of 30. By 2040, 50% of the world’s youth will be African, most of whom will be women and girls. With nearly half of the youth population in Africa currently unemployed or inactive—and 72% living on less than $2 per day—communities are finding it more urgent than ever to enable new avenues and solutions for the creation of quality jobs that make way for youth livelihoods and productivity." This is not just a problem for Africa, this is a problem for the world's citizens.

In my day job, I am always looking for ways to find transferrable, repeatable processes that create demand for our solutions and make my sales teams successful. Although these two scenarios are very different, I see a similarity in the hope that finding innovative ideas to help with problems like unemployment in South Africa, could also lead to better solutions closer to home. Tomorrow I find out exactly what my post will be in Johannesburg. Will my marketing skills combined with my strong academic background including a certificate in entrepreneurship from the University of Iowa be of use to my host organization? I'm not sure. But my hope is that like the young entrepreneurs Tsega writes about, my team's efforts will help our NGO accelerate their path to success. 
 

 

(KIPP Ascend 7th Graders. "More Time on Task." Photo Courtesy of Ken Carl)