The Challenge

Unemployment is perhaps the most pressing problem currently confronting South Africa, not only in its high prevalence rate, but also in its extended impact on other social ills such as poverty, inequality and crime. However, whilst there is little need to convince people of the need to urgently respond to the challenge of unemployment, what is lacking is a model of intervention that can be easily replicated in multiple communities in a relatively short space of time. In addition, various organizations, including the South African government, have highlighted the potential role that the Church can play in addressing unemployment.

The Response

WORKSPRING originated in October 2005 when two representatives of The Warehouse began meeting on a weekly basis with a group of unemployed men at Holy Cross Church in Nyanga. Several weeks of interaction produced the beginnings of a programme of business development and, in November 2005, businesses were launched by four of the men. The process revealed much about the difficulties surrounding employment creation, perhaps the most significant being the need for a holistic programme that deals with the spiritual and psychological concerns produced by many years of unemployment as well as the more conventional issues of skills development and access to capital.

The relative success of three of the businesses (the fourth business failed within the first three months) generated much excitement and the obvious potential of WORKSPRING raised the possibility of replicating the programme at other locations. Such a prospect became the focus of intensive prayer and the team began to discuss the possibility of building a replicable model.

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How Does It Work?

WORKSPRING incorporates both job creation and community development.
The process consists of five phases, each of which is based in local churches.

What Makes WORKSPRING Different?

1. It is church-based.
2. It is simple and easily replicated across multiple locations in a relatively short time.
3. It focuses on relationship-building with important emphasis on partnerships between well- and under-resourced churches, and between potential entrepreneurs and mentor investors.
4. It utilises investment partners rather than loans.
5. It has a strong support infrastructure designed for exponential growth.

What’s Happening At The Moment?

During 2007, WORKSPRING is conducting a pilot project that will fine-tune and test the current process. The pilot will be carried out at five churches with existing links to the Warehouse. During the pilot phase the following objectives have been identified:

• The launch of between 20 and 35 new businesses in local churches.
• The acquisition of secure funding for the administrative set up (not the businesses themselves) from a variety of sources including churches, grant agencies and the South African government.
• The development, implementation and documentation of WORKSPRING in such a way as to make it easily replicable. This will include the creation of support materials.
• An external evaluation of the process.

How Can I Get Involved?

There are opportunities to become involved at each stage of the project, ranging from positions as ‘champions’ or ‘business partners’ to participants in the process itself. To provide feedback or acquire more information please contact Gareth, either at The Warehouse on (021) 761 1168 or via email to gareth@warehouse.org.za.