The Kwanalu Women and Youth Rural Entrepreneurship (Wyre) programme is making significant strides in empowering rural communities in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) by supporting entrepreneurs in the agricultural value chain. This initiative was created in response to the crises following the Covid-19 pandemic and the July 2021 riots in KZN.
“It was intended to help women and youth in business to upscale their activities and, more importantly, provide jobs in the rural economy to stem the flow of people to the cities and for Wyre participants to become job creators and not job takers,” said Kathy Hurly, project manager of Kwanalu’s Women and Youth in Rural Entrepreneurship.
Since its pilot in November 2021, Wyre has supported 1 500 participants, while other Kwanalu programmes like the agricultural placement programme Future Farmers and the partnership programme with the RPO have assisted between 5 000 to 7 000 people.
Altogether, Kwanalu programmes have contributed 20 000 jobs to the rural economy and supported 200 400 livelihoods. The Wyre programme has demonstrated that it can, within six months, reduce dependency by 30% and improve incomes by 20%.
Fostering leadership and financial acumen
Wyre participants start the programme by reviewing their own performance as leaders – in their own lives, their families, their businesses, and their communities. This introspection often addresses the trauma of past events, providing the participants with a clean slate to move forward.
Then it’s onwards and upwards with entrepreneurial training focusing largely on money management and the tools required to manage key business indicators like cash flow, stock in hand, costing and pricing, markets, and savings.
Recently, Kwanalu’s junior trainers visited the Kwanalu-Roots Agripreneur Programme participants in Impendle and Msunduzi. Accompanied by Hurly and their supporters from Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator, who monitored the progress of each participant as they put their training and resources into action.
One participant said, “I learned about how to manage money and how to use it properly and I have learned that I am a leader and can make my own decisions.”
Through Wyre, Kwanalu is actively building relationships with the farmers of the future. These are the farmers who will feed the nation locally, supplementing the contribution of farmers who have the scale and resources to supply local and international markets, bringing critical forex into the country.
The Wyre programme is not only enhancing the skills and leadership qualities of its participants but is also playing a crucial role in the sustainable development of rural economies in KZN, fostering a new generation of entrepreneurial leaders in agriculture.
READ NEXT: ICYMI: EC farmers empowered with hemp cultivation training
Sign up for Mzansi Today: Your daily take on the news and happenings from the agriculture value chain.
