Mind games after 4 months: What can Isaya do in Southern Africa?

I came to Africa with an idea: I wanted to support women in less privileged countries to find a better future through education. Now I’ve been on the road since January 2nd, got to know many people, had many conversations and processed many impressions. My first summary: It’s not as easy as we imagine!

Many women here are very well educated. They just can’t find jobs! Simply – because there are none. “Training” or “further education”, as I had come up with it in Munich, is therefore not simply done.

But what really struck me was that the “entrepreneurial thinking”, the “what can I do to get out of here?”, that is a little fallow. The general attitude is rather: “The state should create jobs” and: “I need support, otherwise it won’t work”.

Sounds somehow familiar to me – do you?

But: how far do we really get in life with this attitude? Are we getting the power to take things into our own hands? Do I want to be one of those who just give money?

Scenery. Every day, at a crossroads here in Cape Town, there is a young man who sells sun visors for cars. I’ve been watching him for days now and I’m impressed by his discipline and resistance to frustration. Yesterday I approached him: Would he like to do a little experiment?

I suggested that he sell water bottles. Cooled in summer, now more at room temperature towards winter. I would give him the first 10 bottles, paint a sign and he can sell the bottles at twice the purchase price. Once he has his stake back, he buys another 10 bottles, and so on. No hassle, no warehouse, a consumable product that everyone needs every day – which makes sense since the same cars pass by here every day.

He listened to it and said he was thinking about it. I’m curious. I told him that I would help him for a few hours on the first day. I want to see if my idea works. He refused: Too dangerous.

Sometimes my frustration is high…

I’ll keep trying anyway. Perhaps I can achieve much more with ideas, know-how and start-up assistance for self-employment than with training.

Therefore: To be continued…

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