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New mentorship programme aims to empower disabled entrepreneurs
There’s not a whole lot of tech in this one, but we thought it was worth sharing anyway. South African entrepreneurial organisation The Hope Factory has launched a programme aimed specifically at empowering disabled entrepreneurs.
The programme, which will be based in KwaZulu-Natal, is meant to help the physically disabled develop personal and business skills to grow and improve their businesses. The 10 entrepreneurs selected for it come from a variety of different fields.
“As a Business Mentor, walking hand-in-hand with an entrepreneur on their journey to success and prosperity, through the highest high’s and low’s and ever changing business and personal terrain daily – is one of the greatest privileges that we cherish most here at The Hope Factory,” says Sipho Pilime, Special Projects Manager at The Hope Factory.
According to Pilime, the programme represents “an amazing opportunity to achieve genuine and measurable transformation for this community of people who are often excluded from economic participation. The ESD initiative will equip and empower entrepreneurially-minded disabled people with sustainable skills and provide ongoing support to usher them on a life-changing journey from financial dependence to independence. This is the HOPE that we wish to build in and for South Africa and we look forward to many more such initiatives.”
Business Mentorship, which remains at the core of the programme, is supported by a range of other service offerings such as:
- Exposure to Market; Workshops/Specialized Training
- Access to Industry Expertise; Operational Investments
- Networking; Business Clinics and
- Entrepreneur Financial Services
Candidates for the programme come from the The Medunsa Organisation of Disabled Entrepreneurs (MODE). According to a press release sent to Ventureburn, the MODE programme is highly practical, taking the beneficiary from startup to operational. This apparently makes it “a natural fit for The Hope Factory to mentor participants to the ‘market ready’ growth stage”.
