Africa is increasingly being viewed as a continent of opportunity and progress, both from within and outside of its borders. This shift in thinking depicts a reality that continues to evolve from the contributions of Africans from every segment of society. Dynamic African youth, operating as social entrepreneurs, are also making a difference.

This CAI paper considers the role of African youth in building their communities through social entrepreneurship. It briefly describes current African youth demographics and highlights three successful social entrepreneurial initiatives. It also considers the nature of the communities that these youth are forming around social entrepreneurship.

Who is Africa’s youth?

This paper considers African youth to be anyone under the age of 35, that is, 65% of the African population.⁽²⁾ These statistics suggest a growing supply of a youthful workforce. Indeed, many enter the workforce from as young as five years old, particularly in agriculture, in which youth comprise 65% of employees in sub-Saharan Africa.⁽³⁾ Although such forms of Africa’s traditional and informal economies have the capacity to absorb great amounts of youth as workers, an average of 72% of African youth subsist daily on less than US$ 2.⁽⁴⁾ Furthermore, while unemployment rates vary regionally, 60% of the unemployed are youth and “youth unemployment rates are double those of adult unemployment in most African countries.”⁽⁵⁾

Perhaps these statistics present a bleak picture of the world’s most youthful continent. Indeed, it is held by some that today’s youth have simply inherited these difficulties through the combined afflictions of impositions such as colonisation, self-benefitting multinational ventures and underperforming Governments. However, many youth refuse to be disaffected by their daunting circumstances and have instead adopted the approach of social entrepreneurship.

Social entrepreneurship

Social entrepreneurship is a form of community engagement which has gained significant global momentum over the past two decades. Its exact definition is disputed: Some view it as the exclusive domain of citizenry who have co-opted entrepreneurial models from the business world in order to create social value. Others argue that it is practiced in Governments, the marketplace and anywhere else, where socially-driven enterprises can be found. Despite these differences, it is generally agreed that social entrepreneurs feel a degree of responsibility for their environments and are inspired to address challenges within them. Thus, an acceptable working definition is that “social entrepreneurs drive social innovation and transformation in various fields… [and build] strong and sustainable organisations, which are either set up as not-for-profit or for-profit companies.”⁽⁶⁾

Africa has been home to two of the world’s leading social entrepreneurs. Both Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela are viewed as global “forerunners” in this field – a tradition which youth today are keeping alive.⁽⁷⁾ A look at the following three initiatives, undertaken by African youth, reveals the creativity and passion with which they do this.

South Africa: The Chaeli Campaign

Cape Town, South Africa, is home to the world renowned Chaeli Campaign. This incredible enterprise was initiated by five young girls who decided to raise funding for a motorised wheelchair for one of them: Chaeli Mycroft.⁽⁸⁾ All between the ages of six and 12, the girls produced and sold cards and pottery through which they met their target of ZAR 20,000 (US$ 2,420) in less than two months.⁽⁹⁾ The Chaeli Campaign has since grown to become a significant socially entrepreneurial force with its vision “to mobilise the minds and bodies of children with disabilities and to normalise society through advocacy and education programmes and events.”⁽¹⁰⁾ Every year it assists more than 3,000 children through its well designed and multi-faceted programmes.⁽¹¹⁾ Its 2011 Annual Report outlines its current programmes and activities such as supporting 16 families in Chinhoyi, Zimbabwe, partnering with local clinics including the Red Cross Children’s Hospital and assisting other young social entrepreneurs in fundraising for their own projects through the Pay-It-Forward Ambassadors Programme.⁽¹²⁾

Since its founding in 2004, the Chaeli Campaign has grown to be a social entrepreneurial movement of note. It has received public recognition through awards from the international community of social entrepreneurs such as the Southern African Social Entrepreneurship Award from Ashoka in 2009.⁽¹³⁾ It has also been awarded other prestigious accolades such as the 2011 International Children’s Peace Prize and the 2012 Medal for Social Activism at the Nobel laureate Peace Summit.⁽¹⁴⁾

Kenya: A Book for Change

‘A Book for Change’ is a Kenyan educational project that was initiated by a passionate 17-year-old: Tabitha Wombugha Tongoi.⁽¹⁵⁾ Tongoi was primed into action after the 2006-2007 Ministry of Education report outlined that most Kenyan schools had a student-to-book ratio of seven to one.⁽¹⁶⁾ She began by launching an awareness campaign that lasted for six weeks, which was then followed by collecting and distributing donated textbooks.⁽¹⁷⁾ Since its inception, A Book for Change has collected over 20,000 books which have been donated to 36 schools across Kenya.⁽¹⁸⁾

Tongoi is a young woman with great academic prowess. She is a graduate of the selective and prestigious African Leadership Academy, which aims to develop and nurture young Africans into future leaders. While enrolled, Tongoi finished fourth overall in the world in her Cambridge A-Level English Exam.⁽¹⁹⁾ As a burgeoning young social entrepreneur, her impact is beginning to be felt and recognised by her colleagues across the world. She was a featured panellist at the 2011 Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship (the world’s largest meeting of social entrepreneurs) ⁽²⁰⁾ where she voiced the needs and aspirations of youth pertaining to their education.⁽²¹⁾

Egypt: Zabatak

Amr Sobhy is a 23-year-old Egyptian with numerous qualifications and abilities. He is most well known for the initiative he and a group of friends undertook during the Egyptian revolution, which began in January 2011. They noticed that the rule of law was severely hampered by the political foment and this opened the doors for a sharp increase in criminal activity.⁽²²⁾ Sobhy and team strategically created a social crowd-sourcing platform called Zabatak.⁽²³⁾ They did this by collating crime reports from citizens across Cairo and converting them into meaningful information by mapping criminal activity.⁽²⁴⁾ Zabatak has been extremely successful in meeting its core objective of empowering regular citizens through sharing important information in the fight against corruption and crime.⁽²⁵⁾ Zabatak engages Egyptian citizenry through its “website, social media and mobile applications,” servicing more than 30,000 people per week.⁽²⁶⁾

Sobhy’s keen intellectual prowess and ability has been acknowledged by his home country, as well as the broader continent. This has mainly come through social entrepreneurship awards such as the 2007 and 2008 Mtandao Afrika Platinum Award and the 2011 African Leadership Academy and MasterCard Foundation Anzisha Prize.⁽²⁷⁾

A brave, new community of social entrepreneurs

Through the brief examples of socially entrepreneurial enterprises cited above, it is clear that the young people driving them are nothing less than visionaries. They have formed communities of conscientious youth that operate with a clear mandate to bring positive change to their environments. A look at some of the characteristics of these young people and the communities they form is instructive.

Young social entrepreneurs are highly motivated; a characteristic they tend to share. They are willing to disrupt the status quo and command their own resources towards the end of securing a better future. Their motivation has pushed them to hone their entrepreneurial skills, whether through formal education or experience, while taking big risks to realise their visions. Furthermore, being the voice of change often comes at a cost: it pits one against popular modes of being and doing. While resistance is a corollary for harbingers of change, these young Africans have refused to be isolated. They have thoughtfully engaged their communities with tools, such as awareness campaigns and workshops, which create a shared vision of the future. This has allowed them to proceed corporately and, ultimately, to add value to society.

The community of social entrepreneurs is one in which the building of fruitful partnerships for the sharing of resources is commonplace. The Pay-It-Forward Ambassadors Programme by the Chaeli Campaign is a great example of this type of cooperation. This programme demonstrates a willingness to assist other social entrepreneurs in achieving their visions. These young catalysts of change demonstrate that the neo-colonial nuances, that have typified many non-profit and for-profit scrambles to secure African resources and territory, are far from their objectives and modus operandi.

Moreover, partnerships formed among young African social entrepreneurs are not limited by borders; this community does not think in categories limited by geo-political, ethnic or even linguistic space. Individuals like Tongoi and Sobhy are regularly sought internationally for their unique insights. Their accolades further demonstrate the recognition they receive from the wider community of social entrepreneurs. Organisations, such as Ashoka and the Skoll World Forum Online, play an important role in facilitating global networks that form a vast pool of resources that can be leveraged to accelerate individual initiatives. Organisations and individuals maintain these networks by utilising and developing telecommunications and information technology. Through such technology socially enterprising individuals like Sobhy are able to increase their social footprint. In addition, social media plays a big role in connecting young Africans with each other and the rest of the international community. Such technology is a mainstay of the community of social entrepreneurs.

Conclusion

Even a fleeting acquaintance with the youth mentioned thus far creates a deeply-felt impact. Their lives serve as varied examples of motivation, purpose, selflessness and ability. There are countless others like Mycroft, Tongoi, Sobhy and their respective teams across Africa. In many instances, they defy their own environments by transcending imposed barriers and limitations to achieve their dreams. Most impressive is the fact that they have made space in their dreams for their neighbours to also achieve theirs. They are true global citizens and have already made their mark on history, showcasing our youth not only as future leaders, but as the leaders of today.

Written by Tapfuma Musewe (1)

NOTES:

(1) Contact Tapfuma Musewe through Consultancy Africa Intelligence’s Optimistic Africa Unit (optimistic.africa@consultancyafrica.com).
(2) The African Youth Charter defines youth as anyone between the ages of 15 and 35. ‘African Youth Charter’, 2 July 2006, http://www.africa-union.org; ‘Africa’s position on youth’, http://www.africa-youth.org.
(3) ’50 factoids about sub-Saharan African’, World Bank, http://go.worldbank.org.
(4) ‘Why an African economic outlook on youth employment?’, Africa Economic Outlook, 6 July 2012, http://www.africaneconomicoutlook.org.
(5) Ibid.
(6) ‘What is a social entrepreneur?’, Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship, http://www.schwabfound.org.
(7) ‘SASE Awards’, http://www.southernafrica.ashoka.org.
(8) ‘A few words about us’, Chaeli Campaign, http://www.chaelicampaign-co-za.si-sv3825.com.
(9) Ibid.
(10) Ibid.
(11) ‘Michaela Mycroft winner of International Children’s Peace Prize 2011’, International Children’s Peace Prize, 21 November 2011, http://childrenspeaceprize.org.
(12) Mycroft, Z., ‘Chief Executive Officer’s report’, 7th annual general meeting, 21 July 2011, , http://www.chaelicampaign-co-za.si-sv3825.com.
(13) ‘SASE Awards’, http://www.southernafrica.ashoka.org.
(14) ‘Achievements’, Chaeli Campaign, http://www.chaelicampaign-co-za.si-sv3825.com.
(15) ‘Speaker: Tabitha Wombugha Tongoi’, Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship, http://skollworldforum.org.
(16) A Book for Change website, http://www.facebook.com.
(17) Ibid.
(18) ‘Speaker: Tabitha Wombugha Tongoi’, Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship, http://skollworldforum.org.
(16) A Book for Change website, http://www.facebook.com.
(19) ‘Global acclaim for academic excellence’, African Leadership Academy, http://www.africanleadershipacademy.org.
(20) Wilcox, D., ‘Social entrepreneurship and social innovation: Not the same thing’, CSRWire, 16 July 2012, http://www.csrwire.com.
(21) Abebe, A., ‘A letter from African Leadership Academy graduate, Tabitha Wombugha Tongoi’, MasterCard Foundation, 13 April 2011, http://mastercardfdn.org.
(22) ‘Amr Sobhy’, The Anzusha Prize website, http://www.anzishaprize.org.
(23) ‘Amr Sobhy’, International Youth Foundation, http://www.iyflive.net; Zabatak means “I caught you” in Arabic, ‘Amr Sobhy’, The Anzusha Prize website, http://www.anzishaprize.org.
(24) ‘Amr Sobhy’, The Anzusha Prize website, http://www.anzishaprize.org.
(25) ‘Amr Sobhy’, International Youth Foundation, http://www.iyflive.net.
(26) Ibid.
(27) Ibid.