Once they are food-secure, the participants are encouraged and helped to come up with more ways to make money for the household. This gives them hope for sustainable livelihoods, confidence in problem solving, and they are better able to communicate with others.

The BBL Programme is guided by some very basic principles:

• Everyone can participate if they are interested in enterprise development
• Participants use what is already available at their households
• It is easy to start
• It is based on the western idea that: ‘If you give someone a fish you will feed them for a day; teaching someone to fish will feed them for their lifetime.’ In Africa, the Swahili people have a similar proverb: ‘Wealth, if you use it, comes to an end; learning, if you use it, increases.’ Even the Central African Bateke proverb might apply: ‘You learn how to cut down trees by cutting them down.’Ergo’s BBL programme – which is a learning initiative and not a ‘hand-out’ – was enthusiastically received when it began in August. Training was offered on a two-weekly basis, in smaller groups and sometimes at the home of a participant. The sessions covered simple theory on how to dig a trench bed, prepare the soil, germinate seeds and conserve water. The facilitators then did practical demonstrations to reinforce the learning. Although only 12 weeks have passed at the time of writing, early signs of success can be seen. Along Tsakane’s sand roads you will find homes built from zinc and scrap material.

Occasionally you may see a brick home. The streets are full of noisy children, chatty women and curious dogs. Although at first glance this appears to be normal, if you look more closely you will see that there is something different happening here. Many of these homes have a vegetable garden, and these gardens contain a variety of vegetables, at various stages of growth. In fact, the women are trading vegetables. The children are doing chores and chasing birds from their gardens and pulling out the weeds. The dogs are inspecting the hand-dug rainwater harvesting trench.

Ergo has brought hope to the people along these dry, dusty roads. The residents have been given a chance to take charge of their future. It may not look like much to the passer-by, but to those who linger, or who truly observe, there are clear signs that the company’s BBL project is the first step for many towards a better future.

SEWING IN SOWETO

“I sew, I sew, it’s off to work I go!”

This is the song on the lips of five special women from Soweto. A number of years ago, these women had an idea – to start a sewing business. They registered themselves under the name Kopano ke Matla (Unity is Power). They then leased workspace from the multi-purpose centre in Meadowlands, and Ergo donated sewing machines to them. Over the years they had some work orders, but the business was difficult to sustain, and they faced a number of challenges. But this group of women were not going to give up easily. They kept their belief in the potential of their business idea alive because they had a clear vision of the life they wanted for themselves and their families.