The B.O.R.N. Initiative: Build Our Rainbow Nation

“People love to say, “Give a man a fish, and he’ll eat for a day. Teach a man to fish, and he’ll eat for a lifetime.” What they don’t say is, “And it would be nice if you gave him a fishing rod.” That’s the part of the analogy that’s missing.” - Trevor Noah, Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood

Why the B.O.R.N. Initiative?

We believe that the only way to ensure a vibrant and growing South African community is to ensure that our youth becomes self-sufficient and adds value to the community.

We believe that our youth is our future and the way to shape our future is to give them every opportunity to succeed.

What is the B.O.R.N. Initiative?

The B.O.R.N. Initiative is a collaboration between potential entrepreneurs, the public, business, media, government, independent expert advisers and non-governmental organizations to support and help our entrepreneurs.

We are creating a platform for all the stakeholders to come together in a community to educate, support, finance and nurture the capabilities of our young entrepreneurs so that they can build their own businesses and achieve financial freedom and success.

The pain of our youth

In South Africa, more than half of the people under the age of 25 who are actively seeking work, cannot find employment.

The general world unemployment is 12, 6%.

In South Africa the general unemployment is 31%.

For the youth in South Africa it is the worst. According to Statistics South Africa the burden of unemployment is also concentrated among the youth as they account for 63, 4% of the total number of unemployed persons. Statistics South Africa 2019

For some, the problem is a lack of access to education, funding or job opportunities. For others it is a lack of skills.

In this economic crisis the problem for most unemployed young people is a lack of experience. They are caught in a vicious downward spiral – no job because of a lack of experience and no experience because of the lack of a job.

This national tragedy unfolds for young people and is destroying our goal of creating a strong vibrant “Rainbow Nation”. At a stage in their lives when they have the most energy, the most drive, the strongest will to succeed, our youth faces the least opportunity.

Young people have so much to offer. They have fresh ideas, a strong ability to adapt and the enthusiasm to make a change. They want to add value. They want to be involved. They want to be asked for their opinion. They want to grow, but mostly they want to learn.

What we want to achieve

We want to be a beacon of hope to our children, our youth and our country - Together we will create our future.