One of my favorite entrepreneurs is an incredibly hard working man by the name of John. John lives in a community called Cosmo City–about 20 kilometers north of Johannesburg. He lives in a small (government provided) RPD house with his wife and kids. He has been one of our most faithful entrepreneurs throughout our current training cycle.

Recently, I was speaking to John before one of our Weekly Meetings and he shared with me a little more about his life and his future ambitions. What he said was nothing short of inspirational.

John, who runs a (micro) construction company, is studying to be a lawyer. He started university in 2005 and has been studying part-time ever since. After his first semester, he was able to earn a full bursary (scholarship). Thus far, he has finished 18 of 40 modules–almost halfway there. He said his original goal was to complete the degree before his 40th birthday; however, he said he will be turning 40 in October, so he thinks 42 is a more realistic goal.

John mentioned that lately things have been tough. He is working long hours in his construction business to support his family–and he said his constitutional law class was incredibly difficult. I found this statement to be an interesting juxtaposition of where he is now, and where he sees himself in the future. John’s perseverance is absolutely astounding. He is the kind of man who is undeterred by life’s circumstances. He knows what he wants and he intends to pursue it.

Few things in John’s life have been easy, but he refuses to let his current situation affect his dreams. There are so many things I can learn from John, and I have a feeling this is just the tip of the iceberg…

Below you will find the sixth issue of Business Trainer Times : ) Click on the image to read the newletter!

Below you will find the fifth issue of Business Trainer Times : ) Click on the image to read the newletter!

Below you will find the fourth issue of Business Trainer Times : ) Click on the image to read the newletter!

Below you will find the third issue of Business Trainer Times : ) Click on the image to read the newletter!

Last month I began sending out a publication to our volunteers who facilitate the business training aspect of our program. The purpose of this newsletter is to help our Business Trainers feel connected to one another, to suggest facilitation tips and to serve as a reminder of why we do what we do.

Below you will find the second issue of Business Trainer Times : ) Click on the image to read the newletter!

Last Tuesday we began our second Loan Cycle and corresponding business training and discipleship courses. This is the first group of entrepreneurs who have applied for a second round of loans with our program–so it’s particularly exciting! We’ve known some of these entrepreneurs for nearly a full year, and they’ve really welcomed us into their lives.

During the Pursuit of Purpose Course (the discipleship portion of the evening) the entrepreneurs were asked to share with one another one of the greatest moments of their life. We suggested examples such as your wedding day, when your first child was born and the day you begun your business. Through asking this question, we wanted to help our entrepreneurs understand that oftentimes who we share these special moments with is equally as important as the moment itself. Life wasn’t meant to be experienced alone–and neither is God. We can experience God through relationships, through family and through our communities. 

One of our entrepreneurs was asked to share with the group what one of her greatest moments was and at first she was reluctant. She can sometimes be a little shy, so it’s not at all uncommon for her to avoid speaking in front of the group. But without further provocation, she proudly proclaimed:

“Graduating from Paradigm Shift and getting my business training and discipleship certificates was one of the greatest moments of my life. I finished my coursework for my matric (high school graduation) but never got my diploma and didn’t have a celebration. Graduating from Paradigm Shift has taught me that the sky is the limit. You are never too old to do what you want to do and to accomplish your dreams.”

As I sat in the back of the room, my jaw dropped to the floor. I could hardly believe my ears. In some way, in some small way, my being here in South Africa and working with Paradigm Shift has contributed to one of the greatest moments of someone else’s life. One of the greatest moments in someone else’s life! Not something they enjoyed. Not something they thought was useful or beneficial. One of the greatest moments in someone else’s life! Wow.

By earning her certificates, this entrepreneur proved to herself that she IS smart and that she CAN do anything she puts her mind to it. At the core, our program is about empowering individuals to lift themselves and their families out of poverty. I have never felt this concept so deeply as I did last Tuesday night.

One of the most frequent questions I encounter when I tell someone about the work that we do, is, “What types of businesses do your entrepreneurs run?” Consequently, I compiled a fairly comprehensive list of the types of businesses we have worked with over the past year : ) There is certainly no shortage of creativity amongst our entrepreneurs…!

Selling/renting out children’s costumes

Selling custom promotional clothing

Exporting clothes to Zimbabwe

Running an internet café

Sewing handbags and tablecloths

Tailoring clothes

Designing clothes

Making curtains

Selling handbags/knick-knacks on the side of the road

Designing and creating greeting cards (and other products) from recycled paper

Selling perfume and make-up

Selling airtime for a public phone

Baking scones

Catering

Making jewelry

Selling second-hand clothes

Selling pap (traditional African food)

Selling chickens

Exporting clothes to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)

Designing computer graphics

Crafting bead-work souvenirs

Styling hair

Doing construction projects

Owning a tuck shop/spaza shop*

Owning a crèche (providing childcare services)

Providing administrative services (typing, printing etc.)

Providing skills training services

Exporting batteries to Zimbabwe

Welding metal services

Landscaping

*A tuck shop or spaza shop is somewhat similar to a community convenience store. A shop owner will sell items like food (bread, soup etc.) in addition to personal items (such as hair products, deodorant etc.). The physical appearance of the shop depends on the community they’re serving. A shop can be as simple as a table outside one’s house, selling random candy and parafin wax, such as our entrepreneur Joseph in Zandspruit. Or it can be as sophisticated an entire room in one’s house fully stocked with everyday essentials and a window that acts as a sort of “drive through” (or rather “walk through”), such as Rose in Cosmo City. This is a very common type of business in townships and informal settlements, where the nearest traditional store may be several kilometers away.

Check out this 3 minute slideshow to get a glimpse of my life (and work) in South Africa!

A few weeks ago we started our third loan family at New Creation Family Church. One of the entrepreneurs in this loan family happens to live in an informal settlement known as Zandspruit (pronounced ZANS-spreight). I first mentioned informal settlements in one of my blogs about Cosmo City, but haven’t had much chance to expand upon them since that entry. In a nutshell, an informal settlement is an area in which people have created make-shift housing (generally consisting of scrap metal, corrugated tin, various plastic material, etc.) but on which they have no legal claim. These residential areas are unauthorized, and thus, technically illegal. These types of settlements arise when an increase in urbanization (more people moving into cities) is met with an insufficient number of houses.

The living conditions in areas such as this are poor to say the very least. Because the housing structures are illegal, residents don’t usually have access to running water or electricity–and bathroom facilities are less than desirable. Sanitation is generally very bad.

All this being said, our entrepreneur has an incredible desire to succeed. My coworker Greg and I visited his business (in Zandspruit) prior to NCFC granting him a loan. His spaza shop (a type of “convenience store”) consists of a single table set up outside his home. The table can’t be more than 4 feet long by 3 feet wide. At his spaza shop, our entrepreneur sells paraffin (used for cooking since they don’t have electricity) and sweets (candy)–and he has two public phones which people can pay to use to make either domestic or international calls. He was interested in the loan in order to buy cool drinks (soda) to sell at his spaza shop during the warm summer months. He insisted that his customers continue to ask for cool drinks, but he doesn’t have the extra R70 (about $10USD) to buy a case of cool drinks at the petrol station (gas station) down the road.

This man is unbelievably hard working and a great learner. He was the first one to show up to our Saturday training (he was 20 minutes early!), despite the fact that he lives a significant distance away and it takes nearly an hour by taxi. (Note: “Taxi” in the South African context refers to a 15 passanger van that is more similar to a bus than an “American taxi.”) Towards the end of our assessment visit, Greg and I asked him why he was interested in growing his business. His response was simple. He wants to grow his business so he can expand his shop and employee people who are less fortunate than himself. He wants to do something good for the community. 

With such an undeniably pure heart, we couldn’t help but be captivated by this young man and his selfless longing to help others despite his own current circumstances.