How do we implement?

A young man with short hair and a slight beard wearing a black shirt and a brown leather apron, standing inside a modern kitchen or coffee shop. He is looking at the camera with a slight smile, with shelves filled with kitchen items visible in the background.

We support local expert, Aspire Youth, who makes it happen

Through our partnership with AspireYouth, an experienced South African organization that has successfully supported many small businesses, we ensure our programs truly serve the communities they’re designed to uplift. Meaningful change happens when local insight meets shared purpose.

We support AspireYouth by:

  • Raising funds

    • Business sponsorships

    • Individual donations

    • An annual fundraiser

  • Providing mentoring and expertise

    • Leverage Canadian and South African experts to mentor entrepreneurs and small business owners

Aspire Youth in a nutshell

Our implementation partner AspireYouth, provides economic opportunities and emotional wellness support to young South Africans who have not completed their schooling and who are committed to creating creating success for themselves.

The formal 18-month program helps program participants establish micro businesses by providing skills training and seed funding.

AspireYouth’s track record shows that 70% of their program participants have doubled their monthly income of $102 (1,200 Rands) since the program outset, and 50% have increased their income by at least 5 times. They implement a rigorous measurement program to ensure success.

A trusted relationship

We chose Aspire Youth because we already knew and trusted Mark Gamble, the Executive Director. Before founding Aspire Youth, Mark ran operations at Education without Borders, a Canadian charity also working in South Africa, where FESA co-founders Rod and Nic served on the board for many years. That long standing relationship gave us confidence in Mark’s integrity and leadership, and we then conducted our own due diligence on Aspire Youth’s practices and impact before deciding to partner.