Tuesday, July 25, 2017

Hope Africa Collective: Hair Salon and Trade Skills Programmes

A crew of guests joined us from Hope Africa Collective today in the studio to speak about their Hair Salon programme and Trade Skills programme. Hope Africa Collective is an organization that focuses directly on the economic empowerment of individuals from our surrounding communities. Their various programs equip students with both handy skills and the skills needed to run their own business.

The Hair Salon Programme trains women in hair styling. The goal is to turn a common practical skill into a future career and business path. The program does not have an age limit and today we were lucky to hear from the youngest member of the program. She is just 19 years of age and is already thriving in the program.



The Trade Skills program trains men in safety, power tool use, maths, measuring methods, and construction phases. Once their training is completed, the men build the women in the Hair salon program their own salons, which are fully equipped for their needs. After finishing the salon construction, men in the Trade Skills program help maintain the building and then receive support from Hope Africa Collective as they transition to jobs outside of the programme.


Our guests from Hope Africa Collective emphasized the importance of supporting local businesses. Palesa Moeketsi, the Business Literacy Leader, emphasized that these small businesses are the “backbone of the country,” so we should support our local businesses rather than commercial services.  

Presenter: Mkhuseli Khusi Veto
Producer: Sophie Breck

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