SAYM brings relief to Emalahleni residents
The South African Youth Movement (SAYM) donated 100 food parcels to needy families in Emalahleni Local Municipality (ELM) areas last Thursday.
SAYM programme manager Boikhutso Masipa said they had brought the food donations as many people were struggling for food following the disruption caused by Covid-19.
SAYM employed 1,000 youth in its community work programme, its first in Emalahleni.
After that SAYM signed a memorandum of understanding with ELM to create more job opportunities and skills development programmes in the area.
Masipa said in their second programme in the municipality the youth organisation had partnered with the department of trade and industry to employ expanded public works programme (EPWP) workers.
In their current project the youth are receiving training in the wholesale and retail Seta and co-operatives are also part of the training.
The youth will acquire finance and marketing skills. We want them to know how to run their own businesses.
The training will take three years. The recruited youth will start on September 1,” he said.
Masipa said they were working on a national skills funded programme.
We want people to be able to create jobs for themselves.
The government cannot create jobs to accommodate everyone.
People have to find different ways of creating employment for themselves.”
ELM has committed to providing workshops for the aforementioned projects, while SAYM has agreed to provide funding.
We commit to bring more
“development programmes to
Emalahleni that will create more job opportunities,” Masipa said.
ELM mayor Nontombizanele Koni said: We have been
“working with SAYM for a while.
ELM welcomes anyone who is willing to bring development programmes to our region.”
Koni said the learnership programme, which started on Tuesday, had begun before the lockdown and 200 local youths were recruited.
They will each receive R3,000 stipend per month.
Our partnership with SAYM is moving Emalahleni forward.”
She added that there were more projects SAYM planned to bring to Emalahleni and she was pleased with the food parcels donated.
I am grateful that people will be able to have food.
Emalahleni is a deeply rural place with a high unemployment rate which reflects the level of poverty in its communities.
However, working with SAYM reduces those numbers.”