NPO offers free courses in entrepreneurship

Keith Downs and his wife Jo-Ann, who is a member of the provincial legislature, started the NPO in November 2011 with funding earmarked for the KZN Financial Literacy Association (KZNFLA), which was started by Ina Cronje, the KZN MEC for the department of finance. “Let Us Work is part of the KZNFLA,” said Keith. “Our early funding and support came from the African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP), although now we are not affiliated with any political party.
There is an innovation crisis in South Africa. We have the lowest propensity to enterprise percentage of Africa at 2% and our unemployment figures are at 25.6%. We realise not everyone who completes our courses will start their own business.”
The NPO currently works through churches that can offer premises for the courses to be conducted. “Our target is simple – 5% of the community are natural entrepreneurs. We believe 15% on top of that are need-driven entrepreneurs, and that 20% will employ the remaining 80%, known in the industry as the Pareto Principle or 80-20 rule.”
The NPO offers three courses – the two-day Anointed 4 Business (A4B), the four-day Building 4 Business (B4B), and the five-day Community 4 Business (C4B). “We also offer training and modules for specific skills, which is outsourced,” said Keith.
“We set up Thuthuka Centres in areas such as KwaMakhutha and Adams Mission to keep tabs on our students up to eight months after they have completed the courses.” The NPO is also in the planning stages of introducing peer-to-peer monitoring. “To date Let Us Work has travelled over 60,000km to train 870 students from Margate to Kosi Bay and inland to Vryheid.”
The NPO is also looking for old computers for its Thuthuka Centres. Call 031-826-9041 or 031-825-2827 or email info@letuswork.co.za.