Non-profit Umphakathi empowers South African youth through practical learner programmes. This is Part 2 of a two-part series.
Much of the organisation’s activities are funded by founder Gerard Ohlson de Fine himself. Learners get to participate and learn for free as well as receive free meals during the day. However, mentors who offer their time and expertise need to be paid and materials need to be acquired for the various programmes and projects.
The idea behind Umphakathi is to prepare young people for the workplace and to provide them with the experience they need in order to find work once they leave school. These vital skills, and the portfolio of work that the kids are able to build during their time on the programme, increase their chances of employment.
Ohlson de Fine, states that the organisation’s mission is to break the cycle of “no experience means no work, and no work means no experience”. With the skills and knowledge the learners gain from Umphakathi, they can confidently display the experience that they have gained. Still, they need funds to continue to do what they are doing, and it’s Ohlson de Fine’s vision to have several Umphakathi hubs all over South Africa.
Umphakathi means “community” in Zulu, and it is not only community that drives the project, but community that benefits from it, too.
Umphakathi offers a comprehensive programme. Learners have the opportunity to discover how various industries work together in order to drive the economy, from those who plan events and do catering, to those who do the electrical work and plumbing to make all of this possible.
And while they are learning, they are improving the buildings in and around the skills precinct as well as other buildings on the projects that they work on outside of Umphakathi. This in turn improves the living conditions of their own families and their broader communities while improving the prospects for these young people who are so eager to apply themselves.
Gandhi, so long ago, championed empowerment. No doubt he would have been impressed and overjoyed to see Ohlson de Fine’s vision unfolding not so far from where he once began his journey to greatness, as a lawyer in the heart of Johannesburg. What great futures await these determined young people at Umphakhati? Great ones, we are certain.