WHAT WE DO
Sihamba Sonke’s ultimate goal is to help local communities leverage their untapped potential, by enabling local youth through skills transfer, character development and mentorship to impact any environment they enter, driving the restoration movement in unity with other like-minded individuals.
We, therefore, employ skilled coaches, under which the rural local youth can grow as programme managers and assistants with the aim of sustainably running the programmes mentioned below and additionally impact any work environment they enter positively in the future. Additional to the skills development focus, each of our programmes is designed to help cultivate relationships, share stories of hope and inspire the local youth to bring personal as well as community restoration.
In 2021, we started an internship programme on top of our skills year, to help address the nationwide crisis of our unskilled labour force, to give more youth the opportunity to shadow and grow their employability skills with a value-driven and purposeful DNA embedded.
"everybody needs a coach"
- bill gates (ted talk NEW YORK, 2013)
Our
Programmes
We have 5 core community programmes each facilitated by one of our local community mentors. We have added a 6th programme that is called Social Enteprise.
Chess Programme
Our chess programme, "Moving with Purpose" was designed by our Sihamba Sonke team. The programme is designed as a restoration roadmap for individuals to practically know the next step to transform their community. We use chess as a vehicle to make life values tangible and at the same time cultivate the development of young minds to enable them to drive a restoration movement of change.
As a competitive advantage chess in itself develops higher thinking skills and therefore opened the door for schools and youth groups to adopt the programme. Practically, we use chess as an analogy to link each of the chess pieces to a principle-based life value, serving as a foundation to battle our brokenness.
Computer Programme
Many rural community members feel left behind in a fast-changing technology age, not knowing how to gain the untapped potential of technology. By providing affordable and accessible computer training, our inspirational teachers aim to empower individuals to grow in the confidence and realise their ability to influence their environment through technology. In an environment with only 1% of youth gaining access to tertiary education, the world of online education could be game changer of possibility, as we leverage the changing climate of an increased movement towards online education.
Agriculture Programme
Subsistence farming still plays a massive role in South Africa’s rural communities, especially in our area the former Transkei. Foundations for Farming, inspires the subsistence farmer to increase his yield with cost-effective easy to use alternative farming principles, which at the same time can be applied in all spheres of life, teaching tangible and relevant life values.
We provide farmers with training and support that enables them to be fruitful with what they have and impact other areas of their lives.
Skills Programme
Many young men struggle to see a future because they lack the experience of how to access opportunities and drive the next step in their careers. Through a whole-person development approach, skills transfer, career support and entrepreneurship engagement, our youth will be given the opportunity to realise their potential, inspire others and leave a legacy. Our skills programme is also the foundation for our internship programme, which is the second step towards full-time employment for previously unemployed local youth.
Internship Programme
This programme is the first step towards becoming a Sihamba Sonke full-time employee after completing the skills-year programme. The internship programme assists us to determine whether the intern:
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Are passionate about the organisation vision and mission;
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Are a culture fit in the organisation with our core values as the foundation;
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Show faithfulness in the tasks entrusted to them;
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Show faithfulness with effort, heart, and a willingness to grow their skills and competence to serve the vision.
To put the above into practice, we believe that community transformation needs a whole person approach and interns will therefore learn how to apply the skills already developed in Sakha Ikamva and Masiphakameni to contribute in a working environment.