Thembalitsha Foundation has 6 projects that projects that provide key healthcare, education and training. This is done via the services of 3 Early Learning Centres to approx. 200 preschool children, 1 High school for approx. 170 at-risk youth, 1 training facility providing skills development and social entrepreneurship and 1 mother to baby programme providing support to news moms and early childhood development workshops.
Here we are focusing on our training facility.
THEMBA TRAINING
EMPOWERING COMMUNITIES THROUGH SKILLS DEVELOPMENT & SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Themba Training serves a number of communities in the Helderberg area. Since 2000, we have been equipping individuals in the local communities with the necessary skills to generate an income by offering offer basic skills training.
These services embody our core values of empowerment, development and social uplifting in order to effect positive change. Beneficiaries are equipped with practical skills that include basic computer skills, business and relevant life skills, handcraft skills and barista training. Equipped individuals may then use these skills to become small business owners or enter the formal or informal job market, thereby being empowered to support their families.
WHY WE DO IT
South Africa’s unemployment rate in the first quarter of 2023 was recorded at 32,9%, and remains the highest in the world (Stats SA). Accessible and appropriate education and training have been identified as one of the great needs in our nation, and that is certainly true for the areas of the Western Cape that we serve. We utilise Practical and Workplace Skills Development for employment opportunities and to give hope of a better life to vulnerable individuals in our community.
YETHEMBA PLACE
Yethemba Place aims to be a bridge between communities and a beacon of hope for the self-realisation of sustainable livelihoods, through employment, skills training and the development of entrepreneurs and micro business owners.
In 2022 Themba Training moved to a brand new, larger site (Yethemba place) in Strand, centrally accessible to the surrounding township communities of Lwandle, Nomzamo and Zola.
LOCAL SOLUTIONS AND IMPACT
At Yethemba Place we cater for these individuals by keeping training groups small, easily accessible and local, at low cost and relevant to their individual goals. Specifically, in the area we work in, our beneficiaries are statistically the groups that struggle most to find jobs or start their own business due to a lack of accessible and appropriate training, and lack of infrastructure.
COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT
These communities are all previously disadvantaged with insufficient opportunities to become skilled and employed. The population in these communities has grown exponentially because of the migration to the cities following the international trend of urbanisation, in search of better lifestyles
CHALLENGE AND GOALS
With South Africa's current unemployment crisis, which has been severely exacerbated by the pandemic, especially women, we aim to create a vibrant, multifunctional space for changing the tide into sustainable income generation for thousands of families.
TRAINING APPROACH AND ACCESSIBILITY
We provide relevant and accessible training to the currently unemployed beneficiaries, being men, women and youths, we cater for. By completing their training with us, their skill set will have been improved, which provides them with a better opportunity to gain meaningful employment and access to income-generating activities.
BARRIERS TO EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING
Oftentimes, training courses that are presented are aimed at individuals that have foundational knowledge already, it does not take into consideration language barriers, previous education or existing skill set, and comes at too high a financial cost for those who wish to be upskilled. Training centres also tend to be located far away from the beneficiaries in our area, thereby adding to the cost of training, as travelling to these centres is expensive.
OUR AIM
Overall, we aim to see people equipped with skills to enter the workspace and navigate life for themselves, their families and the community. This is done through providing a comprehensive offering of workshops, courses, workplace readiness, access to computers and workshop space, physical shops, mentoring and coaching and opportunities to enter the world of work.
