Workspring

The reality

South Africa’s unemployment rate is amongst the highest in the world and is well above other countries with similar levels of per capita income and economic infrastructure. Statistics South Africa records the unemployment rate for the country in March 2009 as 23.5% of the labour force, but that figure rises substantially if one includes the sizable number of people who have stopped looking for work (‘discouraged job seekers’). The situation has further worsened over the past year with the formal economy shedding over 800 000 jobs.

Lack of income exacerbates other social concerns such as poverty, crime, housing, inequality, education and HIV/AIDS. There is little need to convince people of the need to respond urgently to the challenge of unemployment, and various role-players, including the South African government, have highlighted the potential role that the Church can play in addressing it. However, although many local churches are eager to be involved in employment creation, what is lacking is a clear directive as to what role churches should play.

The intervention

WorkSpring is, in the simplest sense, an attempt to create income for individuals. But it has to go beyond that because unemployment impacts much more than personal finances. In helping churches to address this we focus on three different targets for interventions – unemployed individuals, emerging enterprises and established businesses.

We offer training to groups of unemployed people to help them start income-generating activities. We also pursue one-on-one relationship with fledgling businesses, and by teaming-up such enterprises with established business people through our ‘Business Buddy’ program, we are seeing growth and transformation on both sides of these relationships. WorkSpring also provides training and encourages church-based business mobilising initiatives. We have found that churches are often too focused on economic relief rather than development, but the potential resources that lie dormant within church communities are vast, and so our desire is to act as a catalyst, encouraging individuals and communities to realise their own potential.

The prayer

For a new team member to come and work with us as a scout for potential new businesses. We pray for somebody who is appropriately qualified, who is interested in emerging businesses, and who would like to see the Church responding to unemployment.

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