Young entrepreneurs to represent South Africa

A GROUP of McAuley House pupils, tired of huddling around small cellphone screens, has come up with a magnifying screen which has won the company of the year title in the Junior Achiever South Africa (Jasa) competition.

Not only did the group offer a solution to problem they identified but their idea has evolved into a viable business with more products planned for the future.

The idea came when the pupils realised how difficult it was to enjoy videos and other images on the average cellphone screen.

The group of eight girls call their business Meraki Magnifiers and started by each making a contribution towards the materials for the magnifying screen which has become a hit in their school and with the general public.

“Meraki is a Greek word used to describe putting yourself into what you are doing,” said Meraki’s Magnifiers general manager, Amohelang Molefi.

Molefi, 15, said the group had not wanted to start with a loan, but had sacrificed their pocket money to buy recycled flooring wood, plastic binders and magnifying lenses to make the prototype.

“It was trial and error, until we found the right lens for the screen,” she said.

The end product is a portable magnifying screen which can turn a cellphone video into an enjoyable viewing experience for small groups.

By placing the cellphone behind the screen, the viewer can enjoy a clearer and magni- fied image, Molefi said.

The business is one of the Grade 10 to Grade 12 enterprise and entrepreneurship projects from schools throughout the country facilitated by Jasa.

The initiative is a member of JA Worldwide, an international organisation focused on the economic empowerment of youth through financial literacy, work readiness and entrepreneurship training.

The business of the year competition acknowledges that the key to boosting an entrepreneurial mindset, skills development and reducing youth unemployment is the introduction of enterprise development early in life, Jasa managing director Nelly Mofokeng said.

“It’s essential for the youth to be introduced to the world of work and sustainable business at an early age,” Mofokeng said.

School teams representing each of the nine provinces pitched their business plans to a panel of judges made up of business owners and professionals, she said.

“The creative business ideas put forward at this year’s company of the year competition are testament to the success of our programmes.”

Meraki Magnifiers will represent South Africa in the Africa Regional competition to be held in Ghana later this year.

noloyiso.mtembu@inl.co.za

PICTURE: LIZMARIE RICHARDSON Amohelang Molefi and Gugulethu Ngwenyama, pupils at McAuley House, Joburg, represent Meraki Magnifiers, a projector and magnifying screen business which recently won the Junior Achievement South Africa business of the year competition.