The week that was 20180630

MY PROUDEST | MOST GRATEFUL MOMENT

This week has been riddled with meetings so it is rather a blur. I am very grateful for all of the conversations and discussions, it confirms that we are on the right track with our reputation research offering as well as the MAD [My African Dream / Making A Difference] project. It is reassuring that we are slowly but surely making progress to achieve the vision that we set ourselves as a team at the beginning of the year: to be  Africa's go to reputation research and management partner for sustainable organisational growth. 

MY BIGGEST LESSON THIS WEEK

I am a massive fan of Verne Harnish founder of Gazelle International Coaching and author of Scaling Up. I always look forward to reading his weekly newsletter. This week he shared a great link to a video on scaling up your business. He touched on a topic that I had with my team this week, reading. The team is urged to read at least a book a month, so I was glad that the importance of reading was confirmed in this video. To increase your business by tenfold, you need to increase your knowledge by tenfold. 

I thought that I was on track with reading five pages of a book each morning, alas, nowhere near Warren Buffet's 500! He sets three hours aside to read each day. 

The other lessons Verne touches on is the importance of leadership and leadership development (hence the reading), marketing, pricing, the structure of the business and the importance of being focussed.

WHAT MADE ME GIGGLE

One of the meetings I had this week was at Café du Cap in Loop Street. I love the subtle sense of humour used in their menu. I just love the description of their hot chocolate :) and the fact that they probably use too much cheese in their toasties and you clearly can't go wrong with their Croque Monsieur.

MY FAVOURITE QUOTE THIS WEEK

SOMETHING I FOUND PARTICULARLY CLEVER

I absolutely love this illustration of the different representations of artists.

ONE LAST THING

On my journey with MAD, I recently met the most amazing Hout Bay-based artist, Siya. He makes the most beautiful beaded jewellery (read artwork). I just love these earrings!  [His number, should you wish to order some is 064 064 5130) Watch this space for exciting things to come.  

Another Awesome AfriCAN week 20180628

This week I'd like to profile all the inspiring African winners of the Queen's Young Leaders Awards. There were 23 from our amazing continent!

The Queen’s Young Leader Award recognises and celebrates exceptional people aged 18 to 29 from across the Commonwealth, who are taking the lead in their communities and using their skills to transform lives. Winners of this prestigious Award receives a unique package of training, mentoring and networking, including a one-week residential programme in the UK during which they collect their Award from Her Majesty The Queen. 

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THE WINNERS!

GHANA

Alimatu Bawah Wiabriga

Alimatu is the co-founder of CowTribe. This mobile technology provides animal health services to rural livestock farmers. The platform has helped to link farmers with veterinary services more quickly and easily, via a simple booking app. Farmers can also subscribe for vaccination reminders, outbreak alerts and animal husbandry management advice. 

Derick Omari

Derick is working to raise levels of IT literacy within his community. He is the founder of Tech Era, a programme which introduces underprivileged children in Ghana to technology. To date, it has trained 80 students to use computers and solve problems with robotics. His team is also working with visually-impaired students at one school, where the aim is for half of the learners to be able to use a computer and mobile phone within a year. 

Shadrack Frimpong

Shadrack is the founder of Cocoa360, which runs a free girls’ school and medical clinic in his community, funded by proceeds from a community cocoa plantation. With 17 paid staff members, 90 students and an annual reach of 2,500 patients, the Cocoa360 model has already benefitted many lives in rural Ghana.  

KENYA

Douglas Mwangi

Douglas works to reduce illiteracy and poverty in his community in Kenya through education and skills-training. He founded Oasis Mathare, which offers entrepreneurial and IT skills to unemployed young people, including teenage mothers. Douglas now leads a team of five staff and 10 volunteers and has so far helped more than 2,000 teenage mothers, young people and children in the Mathare slum. The centre also has a community library, where students can do their homework, or those who lack the money to attend school can study. There is also an early childhood development space, which allows children to play and, in turn, develop physical and social skills.

LESOTHO

Reekelitsoe Molapo

Reekelitsoe enables and encourages young people in Africa to become entrepreneurs. She is the founder of an initiative called Educate Your Peer Foundation, which encourages African young people studying or working abroad to fund the education of one of their peers back home. Reekelitsoe works closely with the Lesotho Ministry of Gender and Youth, Sports and Recreation to raise awareness among young people of the opportunities available to them, and to develop creative solutions to tackle challenges such as unemployment.

MALAWI

Chikondi Violet Mlozi

Chikondi is finding new ways to improve the lives of women and children within her country. As a district coordinator for Youth Net and Counselling in Malawi, she helps to free girls from forced, early marriages, supports victims of abuse and provides women with mentoring opportunities. Chikondi’s work also involves using theatre and roadshows to raise awareness about children’s rights. In addition, she coordinates an initiative to increase access to healthcare for people living in rural communities and has set up 17 support groups for people living with HIV. 

Pilirani Khoza

Pilirani is working to provide disadvantaged young women in Malawi with an education. After becoming the first woman in her community to attend the University of Malawi, Pilirani founded the Bunda Female Students Organisation (BUFESO) in 2012 to help young women and girls to become involved in the fields of science and agriculture. As well as offering scholarships to those who are unable to afford school fees, BUFESO employs students as interns during academic holidays and trains them on topics such as sustainable agriculture and climate change. Interns are also paired with mentors with agricultural experience. So far, 110 university and secondary school students have been supported by scholarships, 360 women farmers have been trained and six agribusiness projects have been implemented.

NAMIBIA

Mavis Elias

Mavis is a young philanthropist who is committed to helping underprivileged people in her community. She is the founder of the EM Love Foundation, whose work ranges from providing donated food and clothing to low-income families, to hosting fundraisers to children from disadvantaged backgrounds. Mavis now leads a team of seven directors, and has more than 40 volunteers working with her. She and her team have hosted a charity pop-up shop in collaboration with Street Store, a pop-up store that can be created in any community to enable the homeless to shop for free. In recognition of her community work, the First Lady of the Republic of Namibia invited Mavis to serve on her One Economy Foundation, which works to promote inclusivity between different communities, via programmes focused on education, violence and health.

NIGERIA

Hauwa Ojeifo

Hauwa is dedicated to overcoming the stigma around mental health in Nigeria. She runs a women’s support group called She Writes Women, which focuses on mental health support and outreach among some of the most vulnerable people in the community. Through this organisation, she set up the country’s first 24-hour mental health helpline, which has so far assisted more than 200 women to gain the support they need. Hauwa also operates ‘Safe Places’, free monthly support groups for women, which include therapy and help from counsellors, coaches and physicians and carries out ‘Hope Visits’ to people in psychiatric hospitals who have not had visitors for a long time.

Isaac Ezirim

Isaac is a computer programmer who teaches coding to teenagers in low-income areas. He is the founder of Teens Can Code, which is currently training 200 teenagers from the Ajegunle, Alimosho and Ejigbo communities of Lagos about computer coding and how to build web and mobile applications using the same tools that are used by professionals in the tech industry. In addition, Isaac organises a Teens Code Conference for students aged 11-18 to provide an opportunity for people in rural areas to learn how to code. Through the conference and career day events, Isaac and his team have reached more than 3,500 teenagers.

Kennedy Ekezie-Joseph

Kennedy works to promote women’s rights in Nigeria. He is the founder of the Calabar Youth Council for Women’s Rights (CYCWR), which supports the rights of women in the areas of female genital mutilation (FGM), domestic abuse, forced child marriage and access to education for girls. The CYCWR works with rural community members, to educate them on the dangers of gender-based violence. CYCWR has worked with The Girl Generation to end the practice of FGM in over 200 communities and has worked with the government to run safe houses for victims of FGM. Kennedy is currently working with the government to introduce anti-FGM laws in his state, and anti-FGM and gender-based violence education into the curriculum of all secondary schools.

RWANDA

Priscilla Ruzibuka

Priscilla is an entrepreneur who helps women gain employment. She has created Ki-pepeo Kids Clothing project, a children’s clothing line, which employs women from underprivileged communities. Priscilla trains them as tailors and uses the profits from the sales of the clothes to pay fair salaries. Priscilla also offers the women microloans if they need help supporting their families and advises them on how to look after their money. She is a board member of Junior Chamber International (JCI) Rwanda, a membership-based organisation that empowers youth in the community in areas such as entrepreneurship and leadership and connects them with mentors and investors.

SEYCHELLES

Anael Bodwell

Anael teaches young people about their sexual and reproductive health. In 2012 she co-founded Youth Action Movement (YAM) of Seychelles, the first youth group in her country to discuss these issues. The group was recognised by the International Planned Parenthood Federation for the campaign it led to improve access to sexual and reproductive health and rights services for young people, to help girls to understand their rights and for the contribution it made towards national policy on adolescents and reproductive health. In 2015, Anael was elected as a board member of the Seychelles National Youth Council for a two-year term. During this time, she advocated for the opening of youth health clinics in the inner islands. In 2017 she attended the World Economic Forum on Africa to call for the inclusion of young people in the decision-making process on legislations which affects them. Anael is also the co-founder of SYAH Seychelles where she advocates for the sustainable development goals in line with her passion for youth empowerment.

SIERRA LEONE

Brima Manso Bangura

Brima is an inventor, solving problems in his community through entrepreneurship. Having grown up in a slum in Sierra Leone where there was no access to a stable electricity supply, Brima invented a bicycle-powered generator to provide clean, environmentally-friendly and affordable electricity to power household appliances. His invention benefitted not only his own family, but also his neighbours and the wider community. He recently won an award for inventing a substance made from coconut shells which can absorb carbon monoxide in enclosed areas. While studying at the African Leadership Academy, Brima started a Creativity and Innovation Club to encourage a culture of innovation among young people and to enable them to create practical solutions to problems facing their communities.

SOUTH AFRICA

Siposetu Sethu Mbuli

Siposetu is developing new ways to end the stigma of albinism in South Africa. Growing up with albinism herself, and mindful of the misconceptions that still exist around it, Siposetu co-founded Love, This Skin. The organisation assists, supports and educates young people with albinism and their families. It currently works with over 100 people, the majority of whom come from disadvantaged backgrounds, and provides them with necessities like sun protection and eye care. As a broadcaster, Siposetu regularly tells her story and encourages other people to share theirs. Love, This Skin runs an online series which, through interviews and conversations, reports on some of the challenges people with albinism have faced. The group also works with organisations like the Western Cape Albinism and Hypo-pigment Foundation to host community initiatives focused on educating the public about albinism and eradicating misconceptions about the condition.

Thamsanqa Hoza

Thamsanqa is helping young entrepreneurs and innovators to achieve their goals. In 2014, while studying at the Lawhill Maritime Centre, Thamsanqa and a friend developed the ‘Hot Nozzle’, a portable battery-operated shower head which heats up water. As a result, he was recognised by the African Innovation Foundation as one of the top ten young innovators in Africa. He has since co-founded HN Innovate, an organisation which seeks to encourage and inspire young people to explore entrepreneurship. 

TANZANINA

Alice Ahadi Magaka

Alice educates girls about menstrual hygiene and provides sanitary care provisions for students who cannot afford to buy their own. After discovering many girls were absent from her school due to having their periods, Alice set up The Pink Box Project. The scheme encourages those who can afford to buy sanitary provisions to make donations to those who cannot. At its launch, 100 packs of sanitary towels were donated to women and girls and Alice now runs a monthly collection and distribution service. The scheme also hosts forums to educate girls about menstrual hygiene. Since starting the project, Alice has noted a reduction in the number of girls and young women who are absent at her school. She would now like to expand the scheme to rural areas and to introduce reusable menstrual products to girls living there.

Isaya Yunge

Isaya uses mobile software to address the needs of African communities. He is the founder and chief executive at SomaApps Technologies which created SomaApp, a mobile app which is revolutionising how scholarships are offered in Africa. Isaya and his team came up with the idea after seeing how many domestic and international scholarships go unclaimed each year because young people are simply unaware of them. The app enables students to enter their academic qualifications and the SomaApp search engine then matches them with scholarships they qualify for. More than 2,000 students are currently using SomaApp daily. Since the beta (test) version was launched in February 2017, 450 scholarships totalling more than $850,000 a year have been won by students in Nigeria, Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda.

UGANDA

Bazil Mwotta Biddemu

Bazil is dedicated to helping farmers in his community thrive. He is the founder of AgroDuuka, which helps farmers in Uganda access information about market prices for produce in their region. It is designed to act as a low-cost SMS platform to connect smallholder rural farmers directly to buyers, before and after their harvest. To date, Bazil and his team have helped more than 800 farmers from 36 villages in Western and Central Uganda to gain a fair price for their produce. AgroDuuka has recently partnered with the Uganda National Farmers Federation, which is enabling almost five million farmers to have access to AgroDuuka.

Elizabeth Kasujja

Elizabeth uses technology to transform the lives of people living with mental health issues in Uganda. Her inspiration came after witnessing the stigma surrounding mental health in her community, and discovering that many mental health problems went undiagnosed due to a shortage of trained professionals and resources. This led Elizabeth to co-found Clear Yo Mind, which creates secure online platforms for people to express their feelings and access free help from mental health professionals. Clear Yo Mind also offers a text message service, where users can request help, and secure one-to-one appointments with professionals outside of a hospital environment. Elizabeth is currently studying towards a Diploma in Psychology to further support her work.

Stephen Katende

Stephen works to ensure that children in rural areas of Uganda are able to complete their education. He is the founder of Kisoboka Africa, which runs School Community Banks in the rural districts of Lyantonde and Lwengo that allow parents to save, borrow and invest for their children’s education. In addition, Kisoboka Africa equips parents with entrepreneurial and agricultural skills to help start and run their own businesses. The parents are also encouraged to engage with teachers to address any challenges their children are facing at school. Stephen and his team now work with 150 parents in two schools, and have helped over 400 children to acquire an education. The organisation is also starting to operate Young Savers and Investment Clubs in rural primary schools so that children can learn how to save money and boost their leadership skills.

ZAMBIA

Gift Chansa

Gift uses his skills as a circus performer to transform the lives of disadvantaged young people in Zambia. After training at Barefeet Theatre, an organisation seeking to engage and educate at-risk youth in the country through theatre, Gift went on to co-found Circus Zambia. The circus company provides participants in the township of Chibolya with circus, academic and life skills. As the artistic director, Gift and his team currently train 80 young people on a weekly basis who perform to more than 5,000 children in the community. By using circus skills, the Circus Zambia members are able to provide information on issues, such as HIV awareness and sanitation. They also organise events such as ‘A Day of Learning’, which encourage young people to develop their own entrepreneurial business ideas.

Sela Kasepa

Sela explores how science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) can help solve some of the challenges faced by her country. Applying knowledge gained from her own engineering studies, she is the founder and teacher on Zambia’s first robotics development team. Sela has been instrumental in enabling the team’s participation in the 2017 FIRST Global Challenge in the USA, an international robotics competition which aims to inspire young people across the world to engage with STEM. Sela is now working with the Zambian Institute for Sustainable Development to popularise and broaden research into robotics, and to train the next team that will participate in the FIRST Global Challenge. 

The week that was 20180623

MY PROUDEST | MOST GRATEFUL MOMENT

Over the past 13 years I have learnt many business lessons and share them with everyone and anyone that has just started a business (or in fact anyone willing to listen); so that they can learn from my mistakes and not burn their fingers as many times as I have. My very first lesson (I have seven), is to keep up with SARS [here's one of my earlier blogs on the topic]. Whenever I get my compliance profile from my accountant [still the amazing Business Accounting Network]. I still do (several) air punches, because SARS really can make or break a business. I now have the habit that as soon as a client pays, I automatically save the vat portion of the invoice in a separate call account, taking all temptation away of using it for non-SARS related items. So this week's most grateful moment is definitely to be tax compliant.

[Incidentally, the other six lessons: avoid partnerships, avoid working with family and friends, keep an audit trail, work on the business and not in the business, don't give your work away for free, and know what your vision is in eight words or less].

MY BIGGEST LESSON THIS WEEK

Earlier this week, I was reminded of a conversation I had with my very good friend, Bronwyn Kilroe (Cape Town's Laughter Coach). Normally, our conversations are punctuated with gasps for air as we laugh and giggle like naughty school children. We do also have the most amazing conversations philosophising about life.  I was sound boarding with her about whether to pursue something that had crossed my path but had quite a few reservations about whether I should go for it.  Her very sage advice was that if you don't have that "YES! I want to go for this!" in your heart, then don't go for it. If it is something that you are meant to pursue, it will cross your path again at a later stage.

There have been a number of commitments on my plate that I have really not been feeling lately.

Earlier this week, I heard Bronwyn's advice echo in my mind and decided to send off resignation emails. It wasn't easy, because I hate feeling that I am letting people down. What I did realise as a weight lifted from my shoulders, is that I am letting myself down by not focussing on my "hell yes" pursuits; one being my MAD goals!

We really do need to listen to our inner voices more often, and pursue those YES! moments.

Some other very random lesson that I learnt this week:

Did you know that we speak an average of 125 to 150 words a minute? [via Visualthesaurus] 

WHAT MADE ME GIGGLE

Whenever I get a chance I take Bella our Weimaraner, for a walk on the beach, her pronking like a Springbok (bokspring) always makes me laugh!

The other laugh out loud moment was teeing off with the team. Cheers for Peers took us to the River Club yesterday; I absolutely love spending time with the team and laughing together!

MY FAVOURITE QUOTE THIS WEEK

I came across two quotes this week that I really like:

If you don't love it, need it, or use it... It's clutter" ~ Kerri L. Richardson 

Do not save what is left after spending, but spend what is left after saving. ~ Warren Buffet

SOMETHING I FOUND PARTICULARLY CLEVER

Yesterday I launched a new section to my blog, Awesome AfriCAN; our continent has so many incredible people and stories that need to be shared.  I found Laetitia Ky's hair sculptures brilliant!

[If you have an awesome AfriCAN story to share, please send it through to me: africa@reputationmatters.co.za]

ONE LAST THING

This week Lyfe and I made tremendous progress on our MAD dream. Will share more information on the computer center and computer skills classes soon. This is something that Lyfe shared with me, which made me realise that 'hell YES!" we are working on something absolutely amazing:

"Do not take your dreams to the graveyard"

The graveyard is the richest place on earth, because it is here that you will find all the hopes and dreams that were never fulfilled, the books that were never written, the songs that were never sung, the inventions that were never shared, the cures that were never discovered, all because someone was too afraid to take that first step, keep with the problem, or determined to carry out their dream.

Another Awesome AfriCAN week 20180622

Beautiful hair sculptures by Laetitia Ky

#Côted’Ivoire, Abidjan: Meet artist Laetitia Ky who makes the most amazing sculptures with her own hair. Asked, what drives her, she answers the following in her BBC News interview:   

1. A positive attitude 
2. Changing the image of Africa 
3. Feminism

Follow her on Instagram: @laetitiaky 

Cheick Diallo

#Mali: Did you know that one of the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s top players is Cheick Diallo from Mali? He plays for the New Orleans Pelicans. It's a sport he took up by accident at the young age of 12. He was just 14 when he won a scholarship to study in the United States, and didn't speak a word of English. Diallo is inspiring many of the youngsters in Mali to strive for a better life. [via France24.com]

Reggie Khumalo

#SouthAfrica, CapeTown artist Reggie Khumalo has just returned from travelling around Africa on his BMW F650GS, to raise funds to assist needy students. He clocked 20,000km and travelled through ten countries, South Africa, Lesotho, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Mozambique, Malawi, Tanzania, Kenya and Botswana. 

But get this... he did this with the knowledge that he has stomach cancer! His doctors encouraged him not to pursue the journey, but he was adamant to make good on his promise to the students. 

He spent six months riding through Africa, where he met up with artists and collaborated with some of them to produce artworks, which will be auctioned next month.

Story via Times Select. Read the full article here. 
Follow him on Facebook here.


#SouthAfrica Stirring up Africa’s coffee trade. Jonathan Robinson launched the Bean There company 13 years ago from his garage. They now operate out of three roasteries; two in Joburg and one in Cape Town. Each year, more than 120 tonnes of fair trade coffee is sourced from small-scale farmers in Ethiopia, Rwanda, Kenya, Burundi, Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Unique to Bean There’s model is that they source all of their coffee directly. Robinson visits his producers regularly and works with them to improve their crops.

To demonstrate why he’s determined to continue with fair trade, I just love the story that Jonathan shares about Agnes Wairimu Kanja, “She is from Kenya. I met her in 2007. She lived in a mud hut. She had two kids, a son and daughter. One was in school and other, she had no school fees for. I immediately thought what can I do to fix this problem? I could have paid the school fees, but I would have just perpetuated a cycle of aid. The real benefit of fair trade is saying, ‘Agnes, you make amazing coffee. We’ll buy your coffee at a great price and that enables you to sort out your own life.’

Agnes and Jonathan 

Bean There’s purchase of her coffee helped Agnes to go for agronomy training, which resulted in an increase in her coffee yields. Then she started training farmers in her area and was identified as a leader in the community. “The change in Agnes’ life since I met her has been phenomenal. When I saw her last in February 2017, she had a brick house and roof gutters. We sat on the couch in her lounge, with Batman playing on television in the background and looked at some of her Facebook photos on her iPhone. Agnes has taken control of her own life, coffee has played a big part.”

I also particularly like the following what Jonathan says, "Although fair trade is why we are in business, we don’t lead with fair trade ever. We lead with quality coffee. People don’t buy coffee because it is fair trade, they buy it because it is amazing and that’s how it should always be. I never wanted our coffee purchases to be done out of charity, it disrespects the incredible coffee and the farmers that work so hard to produce it.” 

Donna and late husband Nas

#Tanzania this is a tale of two charismatic entrepreneurs that needs to be shared. Australian born Donna Duggan met her soulmate Nas, while she was doing volunteer work as a nursing sister with HIV mothers and babies in Tanzania. Nas said ‘Visionaries build what dreamers imagined.'  


They started with one battered landrover and set up Maasai Wanderings, a Destination Management Company (DMC) which handles the logistics of travel. They soon realised that referring travellers to other camps was not going to grow their business and so the first of Nasikia Camps, which means, 'I hear,’ I feel’ in Swahili, was opened in 2008.  Their dream was to create an authentic camping experience where guests could feel at one with the bush, while still being comfortable and pampered.
They have grown and expanded over the years, and now have five camps and it is a testimony to their determination and passion that the entire business is self-funded.
Tragedy struck when Nas was one of eleven people who lost their lives on 15 November 2017, when a Cessna aircraft crashed above the Ngorongoro Conservation Area in northern Tanzania.

Donna says it’s all about empowering and multi-skilling. Despite losing her soulmate and with two children aged five and eleven to raise alone, Donna says, ‘There is a word in Swahili, ‘Kupambana’ which means to keep struggling, hustling… with the goal of moving forward to be where we need to be. I have people relying on me who need jobs and more importantly through the Naseeb Mfinanga Memorial Trust to ensure my husband’s legacy continues, that his spirit lives on. I know that he would never want me to give up the fight to reach our goals.’

A vision which encompasses not only wildlife experiences but also creating job opportunities for locals. Over 200 Tanzanians are employed by the companies, not only at the camp but in Arusha where the tents are manufactured alongside an engineering, carpentry and design workshop.  

Maasai Wanderings and Nasikia Tented Camps and Donna in her personal capacity support five primary schools and facilitate with partners to feed over 4000 learners a day. In addition she is supporting 118 secondary school learners and four university students. Her programme has produced doctors, lawyers and accountants and learners eternally grateful for the chance to be educated. The principal of Matim, Mr Lingo, says, ‘since Donna started helping the school we have moved from 66^th position in the National Grade 7 exams to 18th. There used to be six learners to one desk and now three, we have a library, a lunch programme, computers on which the teachers are being taught, more classrooms, garden clubs, netball and school uniforms.’

If you have an awesome AfriCAN story to share, please send it through to me: africa@reputationmatters.co.za