NJR Steel has been supporting the Refilwe community since 2001. The initiative was introduced to the company by Jane Chapman who has played a central role in the continuation and co-ordination of the skills project. NJR Steel then entered into a long-term partnership where the goal was to provide skills, tools and networks that could connect entrepreneurs to the real economy of the 21st century. This, we hoped, would eventually result in members of the community running their own small businesses and learning valuable life and business skills. Capital for tools and materials was donated by NJR Steel, while it was arranged for artisans to train a group of 20 people from the community in beading, sewing, baking, wire-work and welding. A dedicated group of volunteers gave them guidelines on how to run a business and put together a working business structure.
The key to taking the skills project to the next level was when the project manager at Refilwe, Jaco Van Schalkwyk; after much research came up with the African Co-Operative Action Trust training program. It is a sustainable training model that’s been used for the last 32 years ACAT focuses on long-term growth by teaching modules in basic life skills, HIV/AIDS, health awareness and basic business skills. After training, the participants are required to form manageable groups of 5 people, where they discuss, negotiate and eventually write their group’s business constitution and open a bank account. The groups, called G5’s, have an extension officer, who meets with them every week, monitoring their progress and their financial records.
The extension officers are committed to the G5’s for a period of up to 6 years. With their involvement weaning over time as the group becomes more independent. Once the individual businesses are sustainable, the G5 has a responsibility to train another G5 in the community. Thereby spreading the opportunity to others. NJR Steel also recently bought the Refilwe Skills Project a Toyota Avanze, which has been a tremendous help with transporting the groups to Open Days, collections and deliveries of raw materials and products.
Every month, NJR Steel donates generously and that donation goes towards vehicle maintenance, insurance, petrol and the extension officers’ salaries. The Refilwe Skills Project now has 17 registered G5’s doing beading, sewing, baking, embroidery, wire-work, making handmade boxes and cards, ceramics, pinyatas, welding, carpentry, organic vegetable farming, organic peanut butter, detergents, running day-cares and hair salons from home, running photo-copying and fax services and the list goes on…
It is engaging and inspirational seeing the transformation power of using funds to seed small businesses that boost livelihoods, giving regular income that leads to the creation of more jobs extending the economic benefits into the broader community.
Find out more about Refilwe here
