Speak to any South African these days, and you will find a similar list of complaints and concerns about the country in which we live. Eskom and its seemingly endless levels of loadshedding are certainly one of the chief offenders. Service delivery – whether it be protests about it, or the lack of services being delivered – is another. While we are generally a country of ‘can do!’ and ‘’n boer maak ‘n plan’ kind of people, there is a general feeling of ‘oh no, here we go again’ when it comes to South Africa’s trials and tribulations.
So how can we, as a country, get back the South African ‘get it done’ spark?
Eileen Thornhill, Director of The LLC Academy, is a big believer in what The LLC Academy and its affiliate, Lanham-Love Consulting, are calling The South African Project. “The South African Project is, simply put, the project of making South Africa a better place for all. We are not blind to our country’s problems. But we do believe that it is within every South African’s power to work together to make our country an even better place to live,” says Thornhill.
So how would the average South African go about making South Africa a better place for everyone?
“The three cornerstones of The South African Project are Education, Empowerment and Collaboration,” says Thornhill. “At The LLC Academy, we believe that education is the foundation upon which the betterment of South Africa begins. If your population is educated, and given the skills that they need to succeed, they are empowered to make a difference in their own lives, as well as the lives of those around them.”
“For example,” says Thornhill, “The LLC Academy offers a number of courses that directly address the issue of youth unemployment in South Africa. By providing training in skills such as computer literacy, and even sector or business-specific skills training, unemployed learners are educated with the know how to become valuable employees that will benefit any business that employs them. Their transformation from unskilled to skilled labour thus empowers them to move towards transforming their own circumstances.”
“The LLC Academy has been working with previously disadvantaged people in this way for a long time now,” says Thornhill. “And what we’ve always found extraordinary is that fact that empowering even one person has the ripple effect of empowering many. Those who have been uplifted go on to uplift others. And the businesses that collaborate with us to educate, upskill and uplift these learners get to invest not only in the people they are helping, but also in the future of their own businesses.”
“After all,” says Thornhill, “the South African Project isn’t one of charity: it’s one of investment. A near-term investment in the people who you either already employ or will employ in the future. And a longer-term investment in a better life for all South Africans, and the future of South Africa.”
If you and your business are interested in collaborating with other South Africans in making a better country for all, contact The LLC Academy to see how you can get involved – and invest in the future of your own business in the process.