Job creation and Enterprise development
In addition to our flagship health and education initiatives, the Donald Woods Foundation endeavours to grow the Mbashe community through empowerment initiatives that bring direct, tangible benefits to local families.
The single biggest infrastructure investment in the region, the Donald Woods Centre at Hobeni is the focal point of skills development in the region through job and enterprise creation, skills development and job-preparation training.
What we do
Assisting entrepreneurs to access equity or grant investment in new business start-ups
Assist with the development of income streams from private or public partnerships for SMMEs
Facilitate professional consultation on an existing business’ growth and development, either via DWF or one of our business partners
Provide or facilitate IT space for business admin support
Advocating and supporting locals succeeding elsewhere to ‘plough back’ and invest returns in new initiatives in their home area
Business planning for new ventures
Business Roadmap – One-day outline on the key components of setting up your own business.
Business Planning – A week-long course in key components of starting your own business.
Entrepreneurship Research – Providing admin, office and IT space for research into concept, design and business plan development.
Business Strategy – Professional consultation on an existing business plan, either via DWF or our business partners.
Community Initiative Planning – Supporting community initiatives in wider ventures where the return on investment is community enrichment, but in non-monetary terms (e.g. sport, environment).
All Donald Woods Foundation community health workers are trained and upskilled utilising the facilities at the Donald Woods Centre. Wider skills development initiatives linked to the Foundation’s livestock programmes will benefit and empower an ever-larger group of local people.
As part of our integrated care approach, the Donald Woods Foundation facilitates and hosts regular training sessions for health-care professionals across the Eastern Cape to update their expertise, exchange experiences and devise solutions to common challenges.
The Foundation boosts community members on the path towards employment by lending support in the following critical areas:
Our skills development programmes include:
- Admin Skills – Literacy, writing and keyboard skills
- IT Skills – MS Word, Excel and general electronic communication skills
- Business Skills – Accounting and money management
- Trade Skills – Building skills, including brick making
- CV Writing – DWF offers local schools and community members short courses in CV writing and presentation.
- Applying for Jobs – We teach potential job seekers how to research and apply for suitable jobs.
- Job Application Support – We provide admin support for targeted job applications, e.g. printing and emailing.
- Market Analysis – Advice and analysis of local job opportunities
- Career Planning – Advice on career planning
- Job Research – Access to computers, communications links and a physical space for research into the job market
The Foundation prepares people for working life by providing a physical space at the Centre as well as knowledge input for job applications, job creation and business planning.
We support infrastructural investment in roads, water and electricity to provide more efficient logistics for businesses to thrive.
We support integrated investment in health, education, social development and policing capacity to provide a healthy basis for individuals to be fully equipped for work.