Foundation empowers youth through skills development

Founded in 2019 with a bold vision of enabling every youth to access the necessary skills and resources for a bright future, the Ikhaya Labantwana Foundation is leaving no stone unturned in its quest to empower the next generation.

Ikhaya Labantwana offers programmes to equip young people with the knowledge, confidence, and connections needed to excel in the modern economy.

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Founder and director of the foundation Jane Nobelungu Moyo said there are lots of challenges that the youth faces, so Ikhaya Labantwana offers opportunities to the people to participate in education and skills development programmes.

“The youth often face multifaceted challenges which include unemployment, poverty, illiteracy as well as violence and crime. As Ikhaya Labantwana we then came up with the idea of providing education and skills development programmes to eliminate poverty through training the township youth.

“We also encourage the youth to start their businesses so they can learn the importance of making money. We encourage them to do well at school so they may be eligible to get bursaries and scholarships because the aim is to empower the youth with lifelong skills and resilience.”

Moyo said Ikhaya Labantwana offers a range of programmes and services that empower youth to explore their interests, develop their skills, and pursue meaningful careers.

“At Ikhaya Labantwana, we provide mentorship programmes, counselling services, and educational support tailored to the individual needs of each youth. We also offer practical skills training as we believe that this offers hands-on training in areas such as vocational skills and digital literacy (Microsoft).

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“Beyond the Microsoft skills and literacy programmes, we offer a diverse range of skills development initiatives, including vocational training, financial literacy workshops, and artistic expression programmes because we believe in nurturing well-rounded individuals equipped to thrive in various aspects of life.

“These skills are often in high demand and we believe they can provide young people with alternative pathways to employment and entrepreneurship,” said Moyo, adding that the biggest challenge she has faced in running Ikhaya Labantwana is not being able to secure sponsors or even get support from community leaders.

“As stakeholders, we hope that we can reach out to more corporate companies so that they may help us build the technology centre that we need for us to be able to live upon our vision.”

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