AFRICAN BUSINESS INSTITUTE
WAKISO, UGANDA
African Business Institute is a relentlessly practical, Christian entrepreneurship institute in Uganda and Malawi that innovatively combines MBA-level business lectures, delivered by professors from some of the world’s top universities, with live projects, high-quality mentorship, and opportunities for investment. ABI’s vision is to apply the Great Commission to business – to baptise the business sphere for Jesus Christ. The startups that ABI launches are designed to build God’s Kingdom in their individual sectors. ABI has launched 17 Christian businesses in Uganda, Malawi, and Liberia.
FOUNDED: 2016
FULL-TIME STAFF: 6
PART-TIME STAFF: 5
VOLUNTEERS: 5
REVENUE FOR LAST FINANCIAL YEAR (ACTUAL): R1,943,124.72
REVENUE FOR CURRENT FINANCIAL YEAR (PROJECTED): R1,736,046.51
REDEMPTIVE QUESTIONS
Why did you start your venture? Was there a defining moment? What did you feel God say about it?
My calling was a gradual realization of what God was calling me to do. ABI was where I could use my theological training, investment banking experience, and business academia background most tangibly for the Kingdom. Also, Christ told us to go into all nations, so I looked for where all nations would be going to during and after my lifetime … it was Africa.
How does your venture help to reverse brokenness in our society and show God’s love to people, today?
Adam’s curse was not work. He already had work. The curse was HARD WORK for limited return and PAIN while doing it. This curse is seen today in regions struggling with poverty. ABI’s vision is to educate, launch, and mentor hundreds of Christian businesses in developing countries – redemptive businesses that reverse the curse, not only by the overcoming of hard work through excellence and efficiency, but also by healing pain through Christ-like love and generosity.
How do you plan on growing and developing your answer to the question above over the next five years?
After launching over 20 redemptive businesses in Africa, ABI is currently in the middle of a strategic push to firstly diversify our products for a wider range of business-minded Christians, and secondly scale into other regions of Africa as well as into Asia within the next 2-3 years through a new online-hybrid model for our Kingdom-business programme.
JUN SHIOMITSU
FOUNDER & PRESIDENT
+256 789 338031
jun.shiomitsu@africanbusiness.institute
ABI is a relentlessly practical, Christian entrepreneurship institute in Uganda and Malawi that combines MBA-level business lectures (delivered by professors from some of the world’s top universities) with real-market projects and high-quality opportunities for investment. ABI’s vision is to strategically apply the Great Commission to the business spheres of Christian-majority developing countries by filling their SME sectors with businesses that have a Kingdom-ideology. ABI has launched over 20 Christian businesses in Uganda, Malawi, and Liberia, and is seeking funding to expand online and into Asia.
AVOLANDS
BAYNESFIELD, SOUTH AFRICA
Avolands is essentially a marketing company that began out of necessity and from humble beginnings on a small farm in the KwaZulu Natal Midlands in 2005. At first, Avolands focused on ripening avocados for the hospitality and retail market in the province. It proved a great success and has since expanded ripening operations to Gauteng, Eastern Cape and Western Cape. Avolands have also diversified into processing preservative-free guacamole. The future of Avolands lies in the further vertical integration into developing emerging commercial farmers who would form part of the Avolands supply chain.
FOUNDED: 2005
FULL-TIME STAFF: 100
PART-TIME STAFF: 20
VOLUNTEERS: 0
REVENUE FOR LAST FINANCIAL YEAR (ACTUAL): R65,201,187.00
REVENUE FOR CURRENT FINANCIAL YEAR (PROJECTED): R86,000,000.00
REDEMPTIVE QUESTIONS
Why did you start your venture? Was there a defining moment? What did you feel God say about it?
Our defining moment occurred out of desperation in October 2005. After a very hard first year, my wife Laurelle and I realised that our new avocado farming venture was failing. After much prayer, we decided that we needed to add value to our avocado crop if we were going to continue farming. God used the example of the marketing efforts of near-by dairies to plant the seed of ripening avocados and supplying customers.
How does your venture help to reverse brokenness in our society and show God’s love to people, today?
The story of Avolands is essentially about God’s faithfulness to us and how he has transformed a failing startup into a successful avocado marketing operation with a national footprint over 15 years. Our desire is that Avolands serve as an inspiration to other startup’s to step out in faith and look to God for their success. God is preparing Avolands for the next phase of business expansion where we specifically cultivate an army of new startup farmers to our supply high-quality fruit to our growing marketing channels.
How do you plan on growing and developing your answer to the question above over the next five years?
The next phase in the Avolands story is that of cultivating a small-grower supplier-base. In preparation for this, Avolands has initiated a commercial nursery where high-quality avocado trees are propagated to meet our future growers’ needs. Avolands have further identified suitable regions/countries which match with our 12-month marketing demands. Avolands are trusting God for strategic partners and suitable farming candidates who share our vision of developing highly competent and viable avocado farming operations within our identified production regions.
DAVID BLANKS
FOUNDER & CEO
+27 82 920 1097
davidb@avolands.co.za
David is a passionate avocado entrepreneur and an ardent ambassador for agribusiness development. He believes that the free market and small business development is the only credible means to long-term prosperity for all South Africans. Prior to farming, David worked as a consulting project manager in commercial and development agriculture throughout Africa. He is a dedicated family man and when he is not working, you will find him motorbiking in the bush with his two sons or riding his mountain bike in the forests surrounding his farm.
NHLAKANIPHO GUMBI
GENERAL MANAGER
+27 82 062 6843
nhlaksg@avolands.co.za
Nhlaka comes from a rural homestead in the midlands of KwaZulu Natal. With no formal education, Nhlaka has risen through the ranks of Avolands to become one of the most influential decision-makers in the company. He is a skilled horseman and capable enduro motorbike rider. He is married to Bulelwa and they have a son, Landelo. Nhlaka is a man of responsibility and integrity and is the future of Avolands.
CAUSE FOR JUSTICE
SOMERSET WEST, SOUTH AFRICA
Cause for Justice is a non-profit human rights organisation that exists to act in the public interest in public forums such as courts, Parliament and government structures to promote and protect constitutional rights, freedoms and obligations, in the ultimate pursuit of justice at both the individual and societal or national level. Cause for Justice believes that the inculcation of its five core values in government policy and the South African legislative framework can contribute significantly to the achievement of enduring societal flourishing. It proactively takes on causes to promote its core values in the public interest and the interest of justice.
FOUNDED: 2013
FULL-TIME STAFF: 2
PART-TIME STAFF: 1
VOLUNTEERS: 1
REVENUE FOR LAST FINANCIAL YEAR (ACTUAL): R1,638,334.00
REVENUE FOR CURRENT FINANCIAL YEAR (PROJECTED): R1,633,045.00
REDEMPTIVE QUESTIONS
Why did you start your venture? Was there a defining moment? What did you feel God say about it?
There were a couple of defining moments along the way. Initially (around 2011), we (the four founding members) became aware of the secularisation of the Western world, coupled with a growing animosity towards the Judeo-Christian ethic in public life. This was coupled with a realisation of the abuse of the democratic system and its institutions, including the Constitution and the law, to reshape the ideological and philosophical foundations of South African society – in many instances not for good. We felt God call us to play an active role in the constitutional and public discourse shaping the soul of our nation.
How does your venture help to reverse brokenness in our society and show God’s love to people, today?
Our work is centred around engaging the political, legislative and judicial leaders of our nation to contend for and attempt to persuade them to act in the best interest of all South Africa’s people, based on our five core values, which are founded upon Biblical truth. On a practical level, as mostly legally trained persons, we engage in strategic litigation, participate in policy and law-making processes of state institutions and Parliament, and create awareness/educate society around issues of public importance. We contend for approaches, interventions, change and outcomes that give expression to Biblical truth and facilitates the Biblical love command. Much of the brokenness in our society is the result of mistaken public policy and legislative interventions, and which in some instances act as blockages to God’s love reaching people in need.
How do you plan on growing and developing your answer to the question above over the next five years?
Our impact is, to a large extent, tied to resources and capacity, as well as influential and strategic relationships. Knowledge of the truth and wisdom for how to apply this truth to real-life situations is also critical. In order to grow and develop our redemptive impact, we would want to, firstly, grow the size of our team, secondly expand and deepen our network of influential and strategic relationships, and, thirdly, grow our network of advisors and counsel of many.
RYAN SMIT
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
+27 83 235 1511
ryan@causeforjustice.org
Ryan is an attorney who has served as Executive Director of Cause for Justice since August 2017. He has a passion for law and he believes in the potential of law as a driver or enabler of change and as a force for good in society. Through his work, he has seen this potential materialise on a number of occasions, in court cases and engagement with Parliament and other organs of state. In terms of outlook on life, Ryan describes himself as a ‘realistic idealist’ (as opposed to an ‘idealistic realist’).
JOIN BANDS, NOT GANGS
DURBANVILLE, SOUTH AFRICA
Join Bands, Not Gangs is a registered non-profit from Cape Town, South Africa, that acts as a supply chain for musical instruments. We use donated instruments to start programs that can help at-risk youth avoid the trap of gangsterism, by engaging in positive activities instead. Our mission is to find and bring in musical instruments (new and used) and then re-distribute them to underprivileged communities in a systematic way. By partnering with fellow Non-Profits, Community Programs and Schools on a grassroots level, we ensure that music programs are sustainable and locally run. Our goal is to bring in and redistribute 1 million instruments.
FOUNDED: 2018
FULL-TIME STAFF: 2
PART-TIME STAFF: 7
VOLUNTEERS: 4
REVENUE FOR LAST FINANCIAL YEAR (ACTUAL): R200,000.00
REVENUE FOR CURRENT FINANCIAL YEAR (PROJECTED): R1,500,000.00
REDEMPTIVE QUESTIONS
Why did you start your venture? Was there a defining moment? What did you feel God say about it?
I was studying music in Boston, USA, and one day the Lord literally dropped the name “Join Bands, Not Gangs” into my spirit, along with the number 1 million. I knew then that I would someday start a non-profit that can bring a million instruments from developed nations to Africa.
How does your venture help to reverse brokenness in our society and show God’s love to people, today?
Our mission to create access to music instruments for youth in gang-ridden areas. By partnering with schools and non-profits, who can run music programs on ground level, we hope to afford young people the opportunity to develop their God-given talents. This will restore hope in our Youth and release a sound of joy on our streets.
How do you plan on growing and developing your answer to the question above over the next five years?
The next few years will be spent streamlining the process of receiving instruments and distributing them in an accountable and sustainable fashion, by building key partnerships on the ground. For getting instruments in, we will run a super marketing campaign centered around music videos that feature the youth that we serve, as well as raising up a touring band that can represent our cause on the national and global stage.
KARIEN DE WAAL
FOUNDER
+27 71 174 2373
kdewaal1@gmail.com
Karien is an enthusiastic, all-round creative with a passion for helping the next generation develop their God-given talents of music. After studying Marketing, she switched lanes to pursue her dream of becoming a composer, which saw her accepted into Berklee College of Music in Boston, USA. Five years later, she returned to Cape Town with a seed deep in her heart to make a difference. After freelancing in the music industry for a season, she founded JOIN BANDS, NOT GANGS in 2018 as a way to bring peace to gang-ridden communities through music.
MINTOR
CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA
Mintor is an award-winning social enterprise that aims to impact the lives of millions of unemployed youth globally. Through its first-of-kind chat-based youth development and employment platform Mintor enables development organisations to upskill millions of youth for work, youth to access career opportunities and businesses to find the right entry level talent. Over the last two years, Mintor supported 21,500 youth with career guidance, skills training and job applications – all through simple WhatsApp chats.
FOUNDED: 2015
FULL-TIME STAFF: 2
PART-TIME STAFF: 2
VOLUNTEERS: 0
REVENUE FOR LAST FINANCIAL YEAR (ACTUAL): R840,380.00
REVENUE FOR CURRENT FINANCIAL YEAR (PROJECTED): R300,000.00
REDEMPTIVE QUESTIONS
Why did you start your venture? Was there a defining moment? What did you feel God say about it?
I developed a passion for helping people realise their potential from a young age and especially was drawn to young talent from marginalised communities that were stuck simply due to their circumstances. Having spent over 10 years in the Corporate and International Development world in the fields of Engineering, IT, Process Optimisation, Project Management and HR, I felt it was time to put my skills full time towards my passion, and hence Mintor was born in 2015. My unconventional background often didn’t make sense to me but looking back now, I can clearly see how God purposed every single experience to develop the skills and passion I needed to build innovative tech-based solutions that will help lift millions out of poverty.
How does your venture help to reverse brokenness in our society and show God’s love to people, today?
People are often bound by their circumstances that hinder them to fully live their potential. Mintor helps millions from marginalised communities to get unstuck. Through our chat-tools, they are able to identify their work-related talents and skill strengths, receive guidance on which career directions they would flourish in most as it relates to current/future job trends in the economy, receive skills training to become more employable, and access internship and jobs with our team supporting them throughout the application journey. We help people to restore hope for their future and to take one or more steps closer to getting there. And we are grateful that our youth recognises it – in a recent survey, the word that occurred most frequently among their feedback, was that we ‘care’.
How do you plan on growing and developing your answer to the question above over the next five years?
Mintor is on a mission to impact the lives of millions of young people globally. We will continue to innovate on our existing chat-based solutions for enhanced youth development and employment support, and we will keep scaling our existing reach internationally to impact our first million by 2023. We envision a world where no young person is being left behind, supported by Mintor and its partners to realise their potential – one chat at a time.
LEÀNNE VIVIERS
CO-FOUNDER
+27 74 681 7191
leanne@gomintor.com
A creative problem solver, passionate about youth development and social entrepreneurship (and dancing) – this is what makes Leànne thrive and she’s put it to action having co-founded Mintor to see millions of unemployed youth realise their potential. Leànne’s background comprises 15+ yrs in IT and Operations Consulting (UK, USA, Africa), including her former role as global SME development manager for IFC (World Bank Group). She holds a B.Eng (Industrial Electronics) from Stellenbosch University and an MBA in Social Entrepreneurship from Oxford University, however, her biggest learnings were from doing business and learning from others that do.
OYAKE
NAIROBI, KENYA
Oyake is a consumer products distributor based in Nairobi, helping the big and small players win by ensuring that hawkers, shop owners and convenience stores (small players) have the best consumer products at the best price delivered at their convenience. Oyake also supports consumer products manufacturers and importers (big players) by providing last-mile access to general trade.
FOUNDED: 2015
FULL-TIME STAFF: 23
PART-TIME STAFF: 0
VOLUNTEERS: 0
REVENUE FOR LAST FINANCIAL YEAR (ACTUAL): R101,541,742.00
REVENUE FOR CURRENT FINANCIAL YEAR (PROJECTED): R71,079,219.00
REDEMPTIVE QUESTIONS
Why did you start your venture? Was there a defining moment? What did you feel God say about it?
Oyake has been an answer to our prayer to work together and continues to be an avenue for God to speak to us.
How does your venture help to reverse brokenness in our society and show God’s love to people, today?
We offer employment opportunity, dignity and training to unskilled and unemployable people within the community that we work in. They currently make up 88% of our team. We engage the government with integrity, no matter the cost!
How do you plan on growing and developing your answer to the question above over the next five years?
We are introducing life skills training to improve the quality of life for our team. We hope to invest in their welfare e.g provide affordable and reliable accommodation. We are committed to scaling and maintaining this model in multiple locations. We will continue to engage in integrity.
LYDIAH BOCHERE OYARO
CO-FOUNDER & HEAD OF OPERATIONS
+254 729 379405
bochere@oyake.co.ke
Lydiah is a trained advocate of the high court of Kenya and the director in charge of operations at Oyake. She deals with sourcing and marketing of products ensuring quality consumer products are delivered to the people of West Nairobi. She is uniquely positioned by God to inspire women in low income areas to aspire to lead more and often challenges men to allow their spouses take a bigger role in running family businesses.
VINCENT OMBAKA
CO-FOUNDER
+254 710 623856
ombaka@oyake.co.ke
Vincent is married to Lydiah and together they work in consumer products distribution in Nairobi, supporting micro and small enterprises by providing consumer products at wholesale terms. He also supports governments and non-profit organisations in public policy development and advocacy and is an aspiring legal philosopher.
PLAN BEE
PRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICA
Plan Bee Honey was founded by Tim van Stormbroek in 2019 with the express intention to use honey production for poverty alleviation among small scale rural farmers in Africa. Plan Bee currently focuses on partner and self-driven CSI and donor-funded honey production projects in South Africa, Mozambique and Zambia. While controlling the quality of honey from the point of harvest through to the bottled and branded product, Plan Bee Honey can offer bulk buyers and retailers a socially responsible, high-quality real honey product in a category landscape rife with the adulterated product. Plan Bee Honey plans to impact thousands of rural farmers while turning our continent into a nett exporter of high-quality honey.
FOUNDED: 2018
FULL-TIME STAFF: 5
PART-TIME STAFF: 0
VOLUNTEERS: 0
REVENUE FOR LAST FINANCIAL YEAR (ACTUAL): R1,195,377.00
REVENUE FOR CURRENT FINANCIAL YEAR (PROJECTED): R1,500,000.00
REDEMPTIVE QUESTIONS
Why did you start your venture? Was there a defining moment? What did you feel God say about it?
As a teenager in 1995, I watched my first wild swarm move into a trap hive in our garden and I was hooked! Since then God opened many doors to provide beekeeping experience and enabled me to see the potential that honey production has to help alleviate poverty in Southern Africa.
How does your venture help to reverse brokenness in our society and show God’s love to people, today?
I believe the honey bee is an agricultural gift to the people of Africa and offers huge potential for rural marginalised communities to produce an additional form of income as well as bring community members together around a common goal of honey production.
How do you plan on growing and developing your answer to the question above over the next five years?
Over the next fice years, Plan Bee Honey aims to empower 500 rural small scale farming families by introducing them to beekeeping and distributing 5 000 beehives and 500 Bibles. We plan to walk a road with these families helping them to see the beauty and providence of God’s creation in the honey bee while enabling them to supplement their income and diet.
TIM VAN STORMBROEK
FOUNDER
+82 482 6202
tim@amberearth.co.za
Tim has pursued a career in occupational hygiene, food safety and, for the last 14 years, in environmental consulting. This has been overlapped with 24 years of experience in beekeeping and honey production as a sideline. Tim is passionate about grass roots development in Africa and seeing lives changed through sustainable rural beekeeping. He believes strongly that the agri-potential in southern Africa is still highly undervalued and is excited to help unlock this blessing.
STRUXIT PROJECTS
PRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICA
Struxit Projects was founded in 2013 to provide civil and structural engineering services, focused on the private sector. They have one goal, to become the most influential engineering firm in South Africa. Struxit wants to build South Africa through its skills and employment within the building environment. Struxit is for people who seek excellence and trust in engineering. Struxit is a navigator, directing everyone involved along the best possible path to success while respecting their unique value due to their craft. They are a disruptive technology engineering company that takes a human-centric approach.
FOUNDED: 2013
FULL-TIME STAFF: 27
PART-TIME STAFF: 9
VOLUNTEERS: 0
REVENUE FOR LAST FINANCIAL YEAR (ACTUAL): R36,000,000.00
REVENUE FOR CURRENT FINANCIAL YEAR (PROJECTED): R50,000,000.00
REDEMPTIVE QUESTIONS
Why did you start your venture? Was there a defining moment? What did you feel God say about it?
We started the venture to be excellent engineers in the private sector, that REALLY CARE deeply for our employees and the clients that we services. Our aim is to create a sustainable future for all, while being selfless with our approach.
How does your venture help to reverse brokenness in our society and show God’s love to people, today?
We create work opportunities for many families in South Africa something that is really scarce. While we follow a selfless approach to business, following Christian principles through what we do.
How do you plan on growing and developing your answer to Question 3 over the next five years?
We need to continue to grow the skills of our people by training them and equipping them with the correct tools to be self-sustainable. While we do this we need to expand the sources of our work in order to sustain the company’s growth.
HANNES WAGNER
FOUNDER & CEO
+27 72 244 5018
hannes@struxit.com
Hannes holds a BEng Hons. in Structural Engineering from the University of Pretoria. He founded Struxit Projects in 2013 and currently acts as the CEO. He is driven by his desire to bring about positive change for his clients and his country. He values inclusivity, treating each person with respect and supporting each team member to chase their goals and fulfill their potential. He trusts and empowers, while excellence is non-negotiable.
WILL OLIVIER
STRUCTURAL ENGINEER
+27 83 647 5363
will@struxit.com
Will is a passionate young engineer, family man and disciple of Jesus Christ. He was born and raised in Pretoria, matriculated at Hoërskool Waterkloof and studied Civil Engineering at Stellenbosch University. He has a very positive outlook on life, the environment and the future of the country. He loves to play golf or exercise in his free time and travels as often as possible.
TIELEO PROPERTY FUND
SOMERSET WEST, SOUTH AFRICA
Tieleo (from the Greek word teleo) means done, settled or paid in full. The realisation that the price for our freedom has been paid in full has led founder Gawie Venter to start Tieleo Property Fund to restore and return that which has been broken to its former and better glory in the property sector. By turning around entire areas that have fallen into disrepair, they are a major catalyst for both temporary and permanent new jobs. They try to always buy low, create extra value, “force appreciation” of these assets and keep them for the long term.
FOUNDED: 2003
FULL-TIME STAFF: 2
PART-TIME STAFF: 2
VOLUNTEERS: 0
REVENUE FOR LAST FINANCIAL YEAR (ACTUAL): R67,000,000.00
REVENUE FOR CURRENT FINANCIAL YEAR (PROJECTED): R5,000,000.00
REDEMPTIVE QUESTIONS
Why did you start your venture? Was there a defining moment? What did you feel God say about it?
I started working with properties in 2002 out of a need to provide for myself and my family. A defining moment was when I realised that I was running out of cash and no one was going to bail me out. I felt God say to me – go for it, I am with you!
How does your venture help to reverse brokenness in our society and show God’s love to people, today?
We restore properties that are not running well and help failing businesses in our shopping centres succeed. God is the business of always redeeming and by redeeming a struggling shopping centre in a struggling town you can change the economics of an entire town.
How do you plan on growing and developing your answer to the question above over the next five years?
I am unsure as the right people that we still need to get “on the bus” will help us define what is required to develop in the right direction.
GAWIE VENTER
FOUNDER
+27 72 420 3958
gawie@tieleogroup.com
Gawie has been a dealmaker in business and property deals since 2002 and has a knack for identifying and turning around distressed properties. He focuses primarily on commercial properties that are struggling and creates value by filling up spaces that previous landlords could not. By buying these properties at low prices when they are not performing well, he has been able to turn around properties ranging from a small apartment to a 10,000m2 shopping centre over the past two decades. He has a degree in Accounting from Stellenbosch University.
PHILIP LA GRANGE
SENIOR ADVISOR & DEALMAKER
+27 72 298 9973
philip@tieleogroup.com
Philip is driven by a passion for business and technology, which is in turn matched by his vision to empower people to reach their potential. He holds a master’s degree in engineering and an MBA from Stellenbosch University. He initiated ventures in the service industry and in healthcare and served as director and chairman for a public company during the time that it prepared for a public listing. In 2014 he partnered with Gawie to establish Tieleo Property Fund, where they turn underperforming commercial and retail properties around to unlock value and to uplift the community.
UDOK
PAARL, SOUTH AFRICA
Udok is an online platform that connects a patient with a doctor via chat, voice or video call. Patients can create their profile on our website and start their own personal health record. All consultations and communications gets recorded on the platform. Patients can chat and load media like photos, voice and video recordings in a secure way. Udok delivers this convenient medical service starting at R 250 a consultation. We strive in making healthcare more convenient and transparent.
FOUNDED: 2018
FULL-TIME STAFF: 0
PART-TIME STAFF: 5
VOLUNTEERS: 1
REVENUE FOR LAST FINANCIAL YEAR (ACTUAL): R400,000.00
REVENUE FOR CURRENT FINANCIAL YEAR (PROJECTED): R50,000,000.00
REDEMPTIVE QUESTIONS
Why did you start your venture? Was there a defining moment? What did you feel God say about it?
God has put me on a very exciting journey the past 20 years that lead up to this venture. As a qualified GP, I worked in three different countries and twelve different places around the globe. I experienced the frustration patients have to access healthcare. The seeds have been planted for me to pursue in this direction while I was in general practice, and my career came to a sudden end in April 2017 when the Lord changed my direction in a matter of months. I felt God said to me to pursue this and start building a healthcare network in Africa.
How does your venture help to reverse brokenness in our society and show God’s love to people, today?
I believe that in caring for people’s healthcare needs was how Jesus expressed his love for people. I believe that the Lord’s plan for us is to get to as many people with this venture and make people experience his love and grace.
How do you plan on growing and developing your answer to the question above over the next five years?
We are trying to create a product that people will find as a necessity and create viral growth. We already secured growth in physical points of care and now we are focusing on online growth with the use of smart ways in digital marketing.
PIET VAN NIEKERK
FOUNDER
+27 60 573 8440
petrus@udok.clinic
Piet is a GP and the founder of Udok. He grew up in the West Coast of South Africa, where his father was a GP in a small town. At a young age he witnessed the struggles in healthcare within rural communities. He then graduated as a medical doctor and gained work experience in rural parts of southern Africa and then Canada, where he used telehealth practices to service patients in rural communities.
U-TURN
CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA
U-turn is a Christian non-profit organisation that equips people and communities with skills and opportunities to overcome homelessness. U-turn works with unemployed, dependent and addicted individuals and walks a journey with them to lasting employment, independence and sobriety. Six months after graduating from the programme, more than 80% of participants remain employed and sober. The programme is designed by occupational therapists and includes initial assistance, substance abuse rehabilitation, skills training and work experience in one of U-turn’s social enterprises.
FOUNDED: 1997
FULL-TIME STAFF: 30
PART-TIME STAFF: 9
VOLUNTEERS: 49
REVENUE FOR LAST FINANCIAL YEAR (ACTUAL): R8,839,753.00
REVENUE FOR CURRENT FINANCIAL YEAR (PROJECTED): R11,964,323.000
REDEMPTIVE QUESTIONS
Why did you start your venture? Was there a defining moment? What did you feel God say about it?
Our founder saw people waning away on the streets and knew God wanted her to act. She gave practical assistance in the form of a meal, and eternal assistance in the form of a gospel talk. We continue building on these foundations of loving people in both Word AND Deed.
How does your venture help to reverse brokenness in our society and show God’s love to people, today?
People think of the homeless as a hopeless cause yet God persevered with us when we were lost and rebellious. He nudges us, lovingly and systematically towards wholeness. Working with the homeless affords us the opportunity to go and do likewise, glorifying God as we imitate His love in action.
How do you plan on growing and developing your answer to the question above over the next five years?
Our focus is twofold. Firstly, we want to scale U-turn’s programme to be able to work with more people by expanding our social enterprises and secondly we want to create a movement of likeminded organizations that unite around an audacious goal to #EndHomelessness within a decade rather than perpetuating disparate, isolated and short-term interventions.
SAM VOS
CEO
+27 82 925 9891
sam@homeless.org.za
Sam is passionate about doing business in developmental ways that ensure inclusive growth. Upon graduating with a degree in Industrial Engineering from Stellenbosch University, he moved to London and spent six years working as a project manager at Schroders Asset Management. At the end of 2004, Sam returned to South Africa with his wife and young family. After a year of studying theology at George Whitfield College in Cape Town, he joined U-Turn and became the Director soon after. Constant innovation over the past 15 years has seen the organisation grow from serving 60 people in an ad hoc manner in 2005, to more than 800 individuals through a phased rehabilitation process in 2019. During this time, Sam has established several social enterprises that now generate over 30% of U-Turn’s income. This includes a chain of charity stores selling pre-loved clothing, and Connect Consulting, a software consultancy that assists organisations with implementing Salesforce.
JON HOPKINS
COO
+73 248 5579
jon@homeless.org.za
Jon loves using data to look at how systems and processes can be improved, whether it is improving client flow within a health facility, or effectively rehabilitating people facing homelessness. After graduating from Oxford University, Jon worked for a church, spent time as a primary school teacher in Tanzania and completed a Masters Degree in Development. Then, he spent nine years working in the field of public health for an international non-profit and the UN, including a stint in eSwatini. Jon moved to South Africa with his family in 2016 to join U-Turn, and, as COO, overseas all U-Turn’s client facing work, the retail business, and turning U-Turn’s replication dreams into reality.
VOLLAR
STELLENBOSCH, SOUTH AFRICA
Vollar works with organisations that want to make a difference. By using monetary incentives called Vollars, these organizations can give disadvantaged people a new way to earn money that they can use to feed their families. Vollar’s platform is unique because the money an organisation uses to fund its incentives can only be spent on products and services at small businesses.
FOUNDED: 2018
FULL-TIME STAFF: 5
PART-TIME STAFF: 0
VOLUNTEERS: 1
REVENUE FOR LAST FINANCIAL YEAR (ACTUAL): R15,000.00
REVENUE FOR CURRENT FINANCIAL YEAR (PROJECTED): R200,000.00
REDEMPTIVE QUESTIONS
Why did you start your venture? Was there a defining moment? What did you feel God say about it?
I started Vollar at the beginning of 2018. Prior to that, I had spent about 6 years building an online volunteering platform, which sparked the initial idea for Vollar – using rewards to motivate people to volunteer. There was definitely a defining moment. I remember standing in my apartment and thinking, if Vollar existed and it could reward unemployed people in disadvantaged communities for volunteering, and if they could use the Vollar reward to buy basic essentials like food, we could make a massive difference in countless peoples lives and their communities. I recognised that I was at a crossroad in life. I could either play it safe and continue with life as normal, or I could step out into the unknown and maybe change the world for so many people. I knew I had to do it even if it failed. I knew that if I didn’t, I would for the rest of my life wonder what could have been, and would live with regret for not trying.
How does your venture help to reverse brokenness in our society and show God’s love to people, today?
It gives people a dignified opportunity to work, access basic income, and feed their families, all the while restoring their local community.
How do you plan on growing and developing your answer to the question above over the next five years?
We plan to implement mid- to large-scale community transformation projects powered by rewarding local volunteering with Vollar. This will be done in partnership with various funders and impact investors.
KYLE UECKERMANN
FOUNDER
+27 71 861 2355
kyle@vollar.org
Kyle found a passion for computer animation at 13 years old and shortly after finishing high school was hired by the top visual effects house in South Africa. Just over a year later, Kyle’s faith was reborn, and he couldn’t put aside the desire to make a real difference in the world. Leaving a promising career behind Kyle went into mission work where he saw the need for technology to connect those needing help to those offering it. He taught himself to program and went on to co-found volunteering platform, VOMO, in the US before moving back to South Africa to start Vollar.
TRIGA VENTURES IS A NON-PROFIT AND PUBLIC BENEFIT ORGANISATION (PBO) IN SOUTH AFRICA AND ALSO HAS A 501(C)(3) AFFILIATION IN THE USA.