Determination isn’t something you learn …

 

It’s something within you, that keeps you going when others give up.

 

And Shimi has it in bucketloads. It’s one of the reasons we chose him to benefit from the training sponsored by people like you. We knew he wouldn’t waste this opportunity to start his own small business and forge a path out of poverty.

But it hasn’t been easy.

Shimi lives in a one-room shack with his brother, who is mentally ill. Taking care of someone who has schitzophrenia is a huge responsibility, but Shimi does it without complaint. He has to wait until late in the evening, when his brother is asleep, before he can start work, sewing leather bags, hats and other products by hand in the dim light of a paraffin lamp.

He is grateful for everything he has learned about running a business, establishing his target market and selling his products – and is looking forward to the future with confidence.

When you make a donation to Siyabonga Africa, you don’t only give people like Shimi the chance to succeed. You also earn valuable BBBEE points for your company in one of the three main focus areas: enterprise and supplier development.

I hope we can continue to work together to create jobs and stimulate the economy through small business development.