Free State Woman Aims to Empower Youth Through Entrepreneurship Training and Creating Jobs in Her Community

• A young, female community leader residing in the Free State aims to create jobs and enable the youth in her small town to become entrepreneurs
• Alinah Mazibuko started an NGO that is focused on career exploration activities and training young people to start their own businesses
• The 32-year-old notes that her activism was inspired by the rate of unemployment and poverty in the town of Warden, where she resides

A young woman from Warden, in the Free State, is determined to create jobs for young people in her community and started a non-profit organisation (NGO) called the Alinah Mazibuko Foundation, which is named after her.

Alinah Mazibuko is also involved with various other projects and works with the Activate Change Drivers NGO, which aims to uplift the youth and help them become leaders who can contribute positively to society and the economy.

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Speaking to Briefly News, the 32-year-old notes that she decided to get involved with various community empowerment causes because of the high rate of unemployment and poverty in her town:

“Many people living in Warden suffer extreme poverty, where they battle to meet basic needs, such as shelter, education, healthcare, and food.

“Children from poorer families find it challenging to excel at school, as they often have to drop out for various reasons when their families need them.”

Alinah explains that in her community, many young girls end up leaving school to care for their ill parents, with boys putting their education on hold to work:

“By the time these children are free to go back to school, it is no longer possible to continue with regular schooling.”

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The young woman thus believes that vocational skills development and entrepreneurship training can improve her town, which is why she started the NGO, which was officially registered in 2020:

“[We focus on] career exploration activities, the provision of sporting materials, civic education, leadership, promoting gender equality, donating food parcels and sanitary pads, and male grooming dialogues, particularly around gender-based violence.

“[We also] support HIV/Aids orphans and affected families and train the youth on entrepreneurship.”

Alinah was interested in youth empowerment from a young age

The go-getter says that she currently works as a PR counsellor at Phumelela municipality and notes that she became interested in community work in primary school:

“When I was in Grade 6, I saw Lovelife Groundbreaker donating sanitary pads at my school. I told myself, ‘I want to work for that organisation’. That’s where it all started.”

According to Free State World Online Newspaper, with the Alinah Mazibuko Foundation, the young leader also assists her community with food parcels, sanitary towels, toiletries, school shoes, and skills development.

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Alinah also empowers women by contributing sanitary pads to needy girls and mentoring young ladies:

“I always encourage girls to study hard and learn to be independent from an early age. I also teach them the value of supporting and uplifting each other.”

Women's Month: Durban lady who was bullied as child starts organisation to help young girls use their voices

In a related story by Briefly News, a young lady from Durban who was physically bullied at primary school wants to help young girls use their voices.

Thobeka Khubisa started an organisation to create a safe space for women and adolescent females to dialogue about topics such as gender and sexuality. The PhD candidate also partners with other companies to provide care packs and basic toiletries to needy girls.

Source: Briefly News