Entrepreneurial training

The Roodeplaat community is a rural community, indicating that resources are scarce.  The people especially from plots 175 and 123 also form part of the poorest of the poor and cannot afford transport and commonly known expensive services.

This led to people starting their own small businesses to sustain their families and to render a service in the community, with for example a spaza shop. Despite the initiative they often lack the skills to sustain and grow the business. 

Kamcare wants to assist those small businesses in succeeding and growing. 

The training course starts with envisioning (where the learners identify their reason for starting the business and to make sure what they want to accomplish). Thereafter the learners learn how to write a business plan as a means to plan their own business but also for fundraising purposes.  They learn how to compile a budget and how to stay within the budget with a class called managing money and loans. Statutory requirements of a small business are also discussed. The highlight of the training course is a successful entrepreneur that comes to tell her/his story and encourage learners.

The main problem for the students is that they lack funding to start their own businesses. Because of this Kamcare registered as aB-B BEE service provider,  to enable business people the opportunity to invest in a small business and therefore assist that business to grow and learn.

Feedback on evaluation forms:

“It is so good for doing this. I’m learning so many things in my life about business. Thanks.”

Training Centres at Kamcare

At  Kamcare we believe that the world can be changed through training. Through training we believe that people can grow to overcome challenging circumstances and emerge as contributors to their own communities and the broader South African society.  

Training courses differ from time to time depending on the needs identified by the community.

The following training courses are offered :

  • Baking skills
  • Sewing skills
  • Welding skills
  • Leadership skills needed for employment
  • Business training and skills 

Other training  presented in the past were: home management skills, NPO training, - day care mother's training, Bible school, parental skills and marriage preparation training.

 

Baking classes   

As part of our empowerment dream, this training fits perfectly.  The baking classes teach domestic workers and other interested students basic baking rules  such as  measurements, how to read a recipe and implementation of the recipe received.  Everyone that attends enjoys the training immensely and it is very fulfilling to see how the mixing of a few ingredients in a specific method can bring about lovely looking and tasty muffins / cookies / various breads or cupcakes.  


Sewing Skills Training

Every week ±12 women from the community travel and walk a long way to get together at Kamcare’s sewing skills training group. This training is presented by volunteers from the Dutch Reformed Church Kameeldrif as well as one of our entrepreneurs.  The group meets every Thursday morning, where they sharpen their sewing skills.

Currently Tina Kapp is lending her expertise to teach these women new skills. The women enjoy this training tremendously since it is a place where they can get recognition and their self worth is increased. The women have become very close and enjoy the companionship. We aim to give these ladies the skills that will enable them to generate their own sustainable incomes.


One of the ladies who teach at the sewing project have this to say:

Teaching sewing to women who have never sewn or worked with a sewing machine before is an enriching experience for us. They are all such nice friendly people and we have learned so much from them particularly about contentment despite the most needy and difficult circumstances. - Magriet du Preez

Sewing Supplies - Our sewing ladies are hard at work , learning new skills and techniques. if you have some excess sewing supplies and/or Equipment lying around, please consider giving them to us. This includes: Material, thread, zippers, buttons, needles, etc. 

Welding training  

Welding is an important skill that assists people to obtain better work opportunities or in the end start their own businesses.  At Kamcare we teach people basic welding skills. The welding course is a very popular course at Kamcare.

Wishlist: Welding rods,Steel off-cuts to practice on 


Leadership skills Training

Kamcare wants to see individuals grow and become responsible citizens in their families, the local community as well as in South Africa. Therefore a major part of the leadership training course consists of life skills training. We try to address for example: good communication and conflict management, leadership styles that is also applicable in family relationships. Other themes are: how to hold a meeting and how to write minutes. The learners personally grow a lot during this course.  It is very fulfilling to hear a learner telling how he applied a skill learned in class at home, and it really worked.

The course is mainly attended by people from plot 175 and plot 111 (two  informal settlements).  

Business support centre

In the Business Support Centre we partner with the business community.

We offer the  following services: 

  • Development and mentorship of small businesses, especially those that completed our business skills training course.  The entrepreneurs present  their business proposals  where they can apply for funds.   If successful they receive mostly B-BBEE funding that is administrated by Kamcare
  • Help to develop upcoming NPO's in formalizing their business plan
  • A platform for companies to become involved in Enterprise development (and score  Enterprise development points on their BEE score cards)
  • Life coaching for management teams
  • Focused team building and team development programmes  for businesses
  • Trauma debriefing
  • Facilitation of change management and assistance for companies in their visioning processes
  • Team building for groups and businesses