At the end of March 2021 Mr. Pride Mhlanga, a professional counselor from Zimbabwe reached out to YES Founders Foundation in order to propose a joint youth-led changemaking activity together with the The Salvation Army Marikopo Corps.
Below is the changemaking activity report from Mr. Pride Mhlanga who served as facilitator in the youth-led changemaking activity. His report was slightly edited for publishing on this blog.
overview of youth-led changemaking activity
The changemaking activity ran for three weeks starting on the 4th of May and running till the 25th of May 2021 with a total of twenty groups consisting of three members each. The groups received a total of 25USD each for the changemaking engagement.
However, two groups decided to return the money for the fear of being unable to raise a profit and fail to return the money. The rules of changemaking activity were explained to each member and they also signed their registration forms online which outlined the rules and expectations of the activity. As per the rule, each group had to return the received funds if they managed to make a profit in the alloted time of the changemaking activity.
outcome
All the groups that launched a changemaking project managed to return the funds they received, though some made very small profits. Nonetheless, they pushed to return the funds so that they will be able to participate in future youth-led changemaking activities with YES Founders Foundation. The biggest achievement is that the groups managed to double the amount through their profit and some are continuing with the businesses they started.
This prompted more youths to approach the Focal Person wanting to join the changemaking activity and also parents really appreciated the program as it also managed to improve the lives of their children and families at large.
One parent came to the focal person with a wide smile and hugged him due to the performance of her children.
overview in numbers
Below is a simple table showing the results from the groups against the funds received, the groups are numbered according to the profits they have made from the highest to the lowest. The table also indicates the number of people served and the activities which were done by the groups...
| Group leader | Funds received (USD) | Profit made (USD) | No of people served | Activity | |
| 1 | KUDZAI | 25.00 | 58.00 | 25 | Cellphone accessories |
| 2 | ELESIA | 25.00 | 40.00 | 30 | Selling beverages |
| 3 | EMMAH | 25.00 | 40.00 | 21 | Vending |
| 4 | TITUS | 25.00 | 40.00 | 23 | Soft drinks |
| 5 | DEFINE | 25.00 | 37.00 | 24 | Selling kids clothing |
| 6 | NYASHA | 25.00 | 34.00 | 16 | Selling handbags |
| 7 | GRACE | 25.00 | 32.00 | 26 | Selling chicken cuts |
| 8 | BEAUTY | 25.00 | 31.00 | 18 | Selling beauty products |
| 9 | PHIONA | 25.00 | 30.00 | 32 | Selling bananas |
| 10 | LEOBRI | 25.00 | 27.00 | 21 | Selling beauty products |
| 11 | RUVIMBO | 25.00 | 25.00 | 29 | Vending |
| 12 | LESLIE | 25.00 | 20.00 | 16 | Selling second hand clothing |
| 13 | BEAUTY | 25.00 | 15.00 | 15 | Selling second hand clothing |
| 14 | SYLVIA | 25.00 | 13.00 | 14 | Selling clothing |
| 15 | DON | 25.00 | 10.00 | 19 | Vending |
| 16 | LILIAN | 25.00 | 10.00 | 13 | Selling clothes |
| 17 | RUFARO | 25.00 | 3.50 | 23 | Selling eggs |
| 18 | ZVISINEI | 25.00 | 3.00 | 12 | Selling clothes |
| TOTAL | 450.00 USD | 478.50 | 377 |
impact
The competition created a self-reliant youths in the community with improved confidence and sense of purpose in the society. Young girls are now able to buy their sanitary wear without having to ask from parents or care givers. The young people and the focal person would like to say a big ‘THANK YOU’ to the YES Founders Foundation.
recommendations of focal person
There is a need to continue with the youth-led changemaking and enroll more young people as it is able to turn around the lives of the young people and prevent issues such as early marriages and drug abuse. If funds do permit, it will be a great thing if there are also income generating activities or projects for the young people to create self-employment.
The focal person is a professional counselor who is willing to continue working with young people. There is also a need to have small meetings where they can receive health education, life skills training and even business training.
We want to extend our gratitude to CUNABI Gruppe UG (haftungsbeschränkt) for their generous support in funding this youth-led changemaking activity in Zimbabwe and positively impacting the lives of young people.
do you want to contribute to youth-led changemaking?
If you are interested in supporting youth-led changemaking, you can donate HERE. You can also watch the video in which we explain how we maximize the impact of your contribution. With as little as 10 USD per young person, we can help facilitate a life changing experience of becoming a changemaker.
