By Teboho Serutla
The Relationships Inspiring Social Enterprise (rise) – through its In Loco Fellowship Program – is reaffirming its commitment to making an impact in communities by helping to develop 100 percent self-funding and self-sustaining independent social businesses.
Out of the 13 youth graduates from two local science and technology institutions, who participated in rise skills training in various disciplines such as engineering, construction management, carpentry and more, 10 have gone on to open their own company – XYZ Collaborative.
XYZ Collaborative is a multi-disciplinary civil works company offering construction, architecture, water and construction services, introducing new methodology of construction and technology.
It was founded in July 2020 by the youth who were part of the In Loco Fellowship Program after they were given skills on how to develop innovative ways of living, which include operating a construction business.
Since its establishment, the company has managed to win two tenders of constructing sanitary/hand washing stations, with the help rise.
The tenders came from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), which gave them a task to build such stations in the city, while Unicef offered them a task to build the stations in clinics, countrywide.
However, there were still challenges that the youngsters encountered along the way. The marketing coordinator of XYZ Collaborative, Nkhole Thakhisi says it was their first time working and dealing with the innovative designs that rise and the fellowship introduced to them. As a result, it was difficult to familiarize themselves with the requirement of using certain tools, especially when building the Intellectual Disability and Autism wooden building structure, because it was their first time building such a structure.
“Working with the experts added a little pressure on us since it was our first time going out to the field to do such duties. The other challenge is that of limited cash flow which is not enough to cater for all the company needs. Also, being a new company means we do not yet have a firm client base.
“Then, of course, there’s the big one – the dreaded Covid-19 curse which no one was spared from,” he continued.
Thakhisi says apart from the two tenders that were offered by UNDP and UNICEF they still have potential individual clients who wish to continuously work with them on various services that they offer.
In Loco Fellowship is a programme founded by rise in 2019 with a mission to design and construct a centre for people with autism, while at the same time offering entrepreneurship and employment opportunities to new architecture and construction design graduates. rise was founded by Daniela Gusman, teaming up with Oliver Needs, after seven years of working in Southern and Eastern Africa, having witnessed first-hand how under-resourced local social entrepreneurs are in rural and semi-rural environments.
