Thriving Communities
Nurturing climate resilience and sustainable livelihoods
Nurturing climate resilience, sustainable livelihoods, and entrepreneurial activity is central to the Thriving Communities focus area. Our programmes address key challenges such as food and water security, enhancing communities’ ability to withstand the impacts of climate change. Additionally, we support micro-entrepreneurial skill development and provide youth work placements to tackle unemployment, creating new opportunities for economic growth. By fostering resilience and equipping individuals with the tools to thrive, we empower communities to build sustainable futures that support both people and the environment.
Our programmes’ targeted impact outcomes
Star in Training 1,500
school leavers per annum receive workplace experience
Climate Resilient Communities 16,000
Early Childhood Development scholars receive a nutritionally certified meal each day
Hustle Economy 1,500
school leavers per annum provided with enterprise development skills
Star-in-training
We say “yes” to giving youth a start in life
The YES programme is a joint initiative by the private sector and South African Government to assist South Africa’s youth in gaining work experience through job placements. Youth unemployment in South Africa remains the single highest risk to economic development in the country. In many instances, it is the most vulnerable communities that are impacted by the high rates of unemployment.
The YES model makes a meaningful contribution to empowerment in areas of national priority, addresses youth unemployment issues, upskills the youth involved through their work experience and the training and development they receive on the job, and ultimately they become more employable promoting overall economic prosperity. Wild Impact has registered as a Youth Employment Services (YES) implementor with the intention of building a substantial work placement programme. We say “yes” to job creation by helping youth become job ready, we say “yes” to boosting the economy and we say “yes” to partnerships that make this possible.
Why we need to say yes
3,053
Internship work placements for youth
57%
Interns with post-school qualifications
268
Programme placement partners
12%
Post internship employment
How the YES process works
Youth enrolled in YES are interviewed and contracted for a 12-month period. YES positions are created separately to existing employment positions.
YES employees are paid at least minimum wage by the employing entity and given constructive, meaningful work to do to build and develop skills.
A designated percentage of the positions created are absorbed into the business after the 12 month “intern” period is completed.
YES employees get a smartphone with a YES app to complete readiness modules as well as weekly / monthly surveys to monitor progress.
The 12-month quality work experience equips unemployed youth to be beacons of hope for their families, households and communities.
Every YES member completing their year-long experience is given a CV & reference letter which gives them a 3 x greater chance of an interview call-back
How we're saying yes
The work placements selected for the YES youth are determined by their potential to support the expansion and improved operations of our Echo and Climate Resilient Communities programme. They also support &Beyond’s Phinda, Kirkman’s and Ngala Stars in Training initiatives as well as to other neighbouring lodges such as Zuka, Makhasa and Sabi Sands lodge operations. The youth also provide financial, administrative, communications and impact insights support within &Beyond and Wild Impact.
In local schools
Enabling the delivery of the Echo Environmental and Climate Resilient Communities Stewardship Programme.
In communities
Providing community cleanup services, including waste management and recycling.
In local lodges
Providing support in catering, guest relations, house-keeping and front of house.
Our Partnerships
Our partnership with Youth Employment Services (YES) has enabled work placements for our primary communities in South Africa, leading to permanent and fixed term employment. As and when sponsors commit support, placements are advertised through Maputaland and Greater Kruger community leadership structures, with subsequent coalitions each playing a fundamental role in our impact journey
Africa is on the frontline of intensifying climate change risks, the future belongs to those who prepare today
Climate Resilient Communities
Sustainability in the face of change
The Climate Resilient Communities (CRC) programme expands on legacy support for small scale agriculture and is likely to expand significantly by 2030. The programme recognises that impoverished rural communities live at the “coal face” of climate change, being directly affected by increased variability in temperature and rainfall. We have focused on food and water security by supporting the establishment of food gardens across all the Early Childhood Development, Home Based Care and Disability centers currently. being supported. In time this will be extended to the Primary and Secondary Schools supported through the Echo programme.
With increasingly erratic rainfall patterns and rising temperatures the new normal, climate change is a growing reality for the 73 rural communities across Africa that we are working with. “Climate models predict that climate change will lead to warmer temperatures, increasing rainfall variability, and increasing severity and frequency of extreme weather events” (Thorlakson and Neufeldt, 2012). Climate change is clearly a significant challenge for all our community partners and so we are actively pursuing projects that will improve the ability of these communities to respond to the changes that they are being faced with. Interventions like localised climate-wise agriculture and small-scale water harvesting hold the key to climate-resilient communities.
KwaZulu-Natal: Food garden
Meet Richard Sibisi, a local hero.
Mr Sibisi established Ikusasalethu Creche in KwaNibela community in 2016. Mr Sibisi started the garden in order to supplement the daily food cooked and served at Ikusasalethu creche, choosing specific crops to provide balanced nutrition to these children who are vulnerable to malnutrition.
Our progress to date
195
Food gardens established
1,498
Vegetables harvested in kg last year
5,219
Hippo Water Rollers provided
87
Boreholes & community water points established
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Hustle Economy
Those who say it can't be done, should not interupt those doing it
The Hustle Economy programme focus is a direct response to the consistent request from our community partners for enterprise development support. The programme recognizes that 70% of Southern and East Africa’s school leavers will work within the informal economy, with the majority juggling ad hoc work opportunities with multiple personal and family micro-enterprises. The Hustle Economy programme is linked to our Thriving Communities key outcome which has a focus on nurturing sustainable job creation and small business development, with emphasis on youth and female empowerment. Our focus currently is on working with emerging micro-entrepreneurs in the iSimangaliso and and Greater Kruger landscapes, with emphasis on improving their business skills, capacity and profitability. Wild Impact and &Beyond are working towards expanding the programme across all landscapes and seascapes.
Hustle is a word that typically means different things to different people, but whisper it on the streets of a rural village or township and it means just one thing – opportunity! The informal or “Hustle Economy” offers 1 out of 6 South African’s a chance at earning an income in areas where formal sector jobs are just not available. Hustling for a living or having one (or several) side-hustles has become the informal sector’s answer to some form of job security in a market riddled with unemployment and lack of opportunity. Africans are the quintessential entrepreneurs and have always used whatever skills they have at their disposal to eke out a living whether as farmers, herders, crafters, artisans or micro-business owners.
The Hustle Economy programme has a core focus around United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG)1, No Poverty, and SDG 8, Decent work and Economic Growth. SDG 1 has a key focus to end poverty in all its forms everywhere. SDG 8 has a key focus to promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all.
1,544
Micro-entrepreneurs supported
74%
Youth under the age of 35 supported
78%
Female entrepreneurs supported
162%
Profit increase for participants
How we help the hustlers to hustle
The development and delivery of the Hustle Economy programme is anchored by a network of community-based facilitators – recruited on the basis of their hustle experience and facilitation ability.
Recruitment of groups of +/-30 emerging micro-entrepreneurs: inexperienced individuals with aspirational start-ups (initially aiming to earn > R 500 pm). 60% female and youth recruitment bias.
A facilitated 10-week capacity building workshop covers a range of topics, including financial literacy, business skills, sustainable development, and social and environmental issues.
Peer-based review and support of the development of the hustle-preneur enterprise “ideas”. An important aim is to facilitate the peer-based approach in refining one anothers’ enterprise concepts
Tracking of activities result in credits awarded for workshops attended and hours spent volunteering in communities. Credits can be converted to funding support for a hustle: as capital or grant support.
Support of the implementation of local volunteer based social and environmental interventions to encourage hustle networks to “serve” their communities, underwriting social cohesiveness
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Wild Impact is a Public Benefit Organisation registered in South Africa. Reg. No.: 930002115