Let’s All Use What We Have in Our Hands
— by Paul Zondagh
I believe that Christian business is called to attend to the welfare of the community within which it operates. This requires that we consider our immediate environment, and then, in the context of what we have in our hands as a business, ask the Holy Spirit to guide us in wisdom so that we can act with Godly impact. This paper briefly describes an issue in our community and details one of the programs we’ve been running in response.
There is a Calling on Christian Business
The Jewish nation spent much of history in exile. During those difficult times, the clear calling on them was to intentionally work towards the welfare of the land in which they were. “Build houses and make yourselves at home. Put in gardens and eat what grows in that country…Make yourselves at home there and work for the country’s welfare. Pray for Babylon’s well-being. If things go well for Babylon, things will go well for you” (Jeremiah 29:5, 7 The Message translation).
As Christians in business, we also operate in a foreign and hostile ecosystem. Even in so-called “Christian countries,” the business setting is typically characterised by at least some of the following “every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarrelling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip” (Romans 1:29 New Living Translation). Being God’s people in this foreign environment, I believe we share the calling that Jeremiah penned, i.e. to include in our focus the welfare of the community in which we operate.
The Socioeconomic Realities to Which We Reacted
Our business operates in South Africa, where the environment is characterised by the following:
A failing education system: In 2015, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) released a report ranking the education systems of 76 countries from around the world. South Africa performed dismally. Of the 76 countries studied, the OECD ranked us the 75th worst education system. Of every 100 pupils that start school, only 50 make it to Grade 12. Of those, 40 will pass, of whom only 12 will be eligible to study at a university. Those who do not acquire some form of post-secondary education are at a distinct economic disadvantage and not only struggle to find full-time employment, but also have one of the highest probabilities of being unemployed for sustained periods of time, if not permanently.
High levels of unemployment: Of adults who are economically active, 38.5% are unemployed, a figure that is among the highest in the world. The numbers for young people (aged 15 to 34) are even worse. Between 2008 and 2019, the population of young people increased by 2.2 million, but the number of young people who were employed fell by 500,000. Thus, while the population of young people increased by about 560 per day, the number of employed young people fell by more than 100 per day.
Particularly high youth unemployment: Out of a population of 20 million young people between the ages of 15 and 34, 7.9 million are neither working nor in any form of education or training. In the fourth quarter of 2018, 3.9 million young people reported having looked for work but being unable to find it. The dysfunctionality of the education system is clearly part of the problem. Large numbers of work-seekers come from households in which no one holds a full-time, formal sector job. As a result, they often lack some of the requisite workplace skills and aptitudes that might be acquired organically in a household in which more people work. They also often have little knowledge about what kinds of jobs are available, for which jobs their skills and aptitudes are best suited, or how to maximize their chances of finding one.
High levels of inequality: With a consumption per capita Gini coefficient of 0.63 in 2015, South Africa is one of the most unequal countries in the world.
Salient Overview of Our Program
We refer to the program as our “intern program”. However, the terminology is admittedly inaccurate insofar as the candidates are not “interns” into our industry (we are an actuarial consultancy). Rather, they are interns into the formal economy (into whichever specific area that best matches the individual).
The intake is typically from students who finish school, coming from a severely disadvantaged socioeconomic background. Each intern typically spends between one and three years in the program, during which their exposure is as follows:
The work week is made up of both formal work experience, as well as soft skills training. Each is placed with one of the NGOs with whom we have strong ties, where they get work exposure for four days a week. The fifth day is reserved for soft skill training, when all the interns get together and receive structured soft skill training in a group setting.
From a training perspective, each intern is assessed to identify an appropriate area of training. A suitable training program is then selected, taking holistic cognisance of the individual’s circumstances (e.g. training that involves evening classes are often ruled out because of logistical and safety challenges).
From a financial perspective our spend on the program roughly averages twice the minimum wage over time. This is made up of a monthly stipend, in line with the minimum wage, with the balance going to direct training and support costs.
The entire design of the program is focussed to eventually deliver a graduate who is well-groomed and confident, and whose employability is a quantum above those peers who finished school with them. To date almost all graduates have moved directly from the program into formal, permanent employment.
The Program Evolved from Very Humble Beginnings
The program started in 2006, with just one intern. This young lady grew up in an informal settlement area and was the oldest child of a domestic worker. She never knew her father, so also had all the challenges that go with fatherlessness. Without intervention, her aspirations would probably have been very low and her outlook bleak. At the time, we had neither the NGO partnerships nor the soft skill training, so for three years she came into our office every day. A large part of the first year was taken up just by the cultural adjustment, simply to be able to fit into a business environment. From there she grew in confidence, until she could perform basic office administration competently and professionally. After her time with us, she moved to a position as a kindergarten teacher at a local NGO, a career path that would have been beyond her aspirations just a few years earlier.
From there, the program gradually evolved over time. It is quite humbling to look back and see how it took us years to identify [what now seems like] obvious, initial shortcomings. No doubt there will be more!
Numbers: We grew frustrated about the size of our impact if we only accommodate one intern at a time. So, we went from one to three to the point where we now have a number of interns equal to the number of full-time, professional employees in our firm.
Partnering with NGOs: As the numbers grew, our premises and our ability to keep the interns sensibly occupied came under pressure. This led us to partnering with selected NGOs. The interns are on our payroll, but they spend their time at the NGO, working as if they were employees of the NGO.
Soft skill training: In 2011 we realised that while we were formally attending to academic training, we were entirely reliant on gradual, informal assimilation of many of the softer skills required in the formal economy. A weekly time slot has since been dedicated for the group to get together, to focus on this in structured and facilitated manner.
Emotional coaching: Some of our interns come from a past with severe emotional trauma. To reach full potential in life, it is important to provide the individual with the “tools” they need to deal with his/her past. This became an added focus around 2013, with the soft skill trainer/facilitator effectively taking on the role of a corporate chaplain who also provides one-on-one emotional coaching where needed.
Concluding Remarks
We are grateful for the lives that have been touched and the futures that have been changed since we embarked on this journey. However, much like a single grain of salt or a single ray of light, our impact is miniscule in the bigger scheme of things. While it might be insignificant, it is one of the things we have in our hand and we’re using it to add to the welfare of the community around us. What do you have in your hand?
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Footnotes
1) Roodt, M. South African Institute of Race Relations (2018) The South African EDUCATION CRISIS, Giving power back to parents
2) Spaull, N. (2013), South Africa’s Education Crisis: The quality of education in South Africa 1994-2011
3) Centre for Development and Enterprise (2020) Ten Million and Rising: What it would take to address South Africa’s jobs bloodbath
4) Centre for Development and Enterprise (2019) Agenda 2019: Tackling youth unemployment
5) World Bank (2018) Overcoming Poverty and Inequality in South Africa: An Assessment of Drivers, Constraints and Opportunities.
This is one of the 2020 CEF Whitepapers. For more information on the Christian Economic Forum, please visit their website here.
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