“Our people must learn to devote themselves to doing what is good in order that they may provide for their daily needs and not live unproductive lives.” Titus 3:14
South Africa has an unemployment rate of almost 25%! Living Way seeks to help alleviate poverty due to unemployment through economic empowerment. It is not about seeking money as the solution to poverty. It is about upholding justice. It is about dignity. It is about empowerment. It is about hope. It is about walking a journey with the poor, while providing opportunities to rise above their struggles.
We address this need through three different programmes:
Job Centre
At times life can seem overwhelming when faced with hurdles, especially when one does not even know where to begin. At the Job Centre, we aim to come alongside individuals, providing the counsel and encouragement to find and take the next step on the road to success. This may simply be assisting in the search of job adverts or offering help in creating or fine tuning a CV. Other times, continued education or specialized skills training is needed in areas which Living Way cannot always meet. There are excellent training and support organisations available that many are unaware of. By accessing and supplying this information to individuals, Living Way believes it can provide a hand up and spark of hope for the future of many.
The Job Centre is currently open one morning per week with the goal to expand further in time. If you have services or jobs you would wish to advertise with the Job Centre please email: nathan@livinghope.co.za
Way to Work
Preparing people for the world of work is critical. Retention rates are very low, with many people returning to unemployment because they are not prepared for the work environment.
In researching the need for this type of course, our programme developers found that employers were saying the same thing: They can train the hard skill needed for the job, but they require people with positive attitudes, good communication, reliability and so on. The Way to Work curriculum has been custom designed to meet these needs.
Long term unemployed people do not have the experience nor the role models to live out what is, for most people, common sense. Through focusing this programme on the soft skills required for employment, it is truly giving people a hand up.
Programme modules include, amongst others:
· Initiative
· CV and interviews
· Time management
Agriculture & Business Training
Many people from rural areas have left their farmlands to find work in the city. Little do they know that they can provide for their daily nutritional needs on their farm, they can also operate it as a business.
The Agriculture and Business Training is a long term, intensive, three phase training programme for individuals who have a passion for farming. The complete programme is 1 year and 9 months long, encompassing five “streams” of training: Agriculture, Business, Community Development, Base skills (math, computer, personal finance and more), and Christian discipleship. The goal is to develop sustainable tunnel (greenhouse) farmers who will in time not only provide for themselves and their families but also create employment in their rural communities. Our goal is success and therefore we invest the time and resources to personally walk with each student on a path of learning.
The student’s training is split between theory in the class room and practical hands on experience. Our 7 hectares of farm land are home to 13 tunnels growing vegetables hydroponically. Through this platform and future plans of expansion, a fertile ground abides for students to learn and grow.
For more information about this programme contact agritraining@livinghope.co.za.
Contact Us:
Gerrit Klynhans, Farm Manager
Tel: +27 (0)21 784 2800