“It’s thanks to the outstanding support of our partners, volunteers and supporters that we could rise to the challenges and make a meaningful impact on youth empowerment,” Wells said.  

JUMPSTART  

In the reporting period, Mr Price Foundation invested R24.2 million in retail skills development through its JumpStart programme, upskilling 7 252 unemployed youth, with 90% of them securing employment at Mr Price Group, SPAR and the Foundation’s other employer partners.    

“This means 6 571 youth were taken out of the unemployment line and into employment!  These young people are now able to provide for their families, impacting around 32 745 people (calculated on a multiplier effect of 5:1),” said Wells.  

UPLIFT  

Mr Price Foundation invested R8.7 million into its UpLift small business development programme, placing 154 aspiring young entrepreneurs on the path to small business success in townships, agriculture and waste management.    

UpLift entrepreneurs generated R1.3 million in revenue, with 10 micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) established. In the HandPicked agricultural small business development programme, entrepreneurs harvested 1.47 tons of fresh produce, giving families access to better nutrition and generating collective revenue of R242 000.    

The Foundation also supported 77 NPOs by donating R437 000 in product vouchers to Mr Price Group businesses. An estimated 5 322 beneficiaries across South Africa’s nine provinces benefited through these NPOs, which are aligned with the Foundation’s vision and purpose of unlocking tomorrow’s potential.  

 EDURISE

“Poor skills and education are the root cause of unemployment in South Africa. That’s why we invest significantly into improving education outcomes in lower socio-economic schools,” said Wells.   

Mr Price Foundation invested R4.6 million into holistic education through its EduRise programme, impacting 40 primary schools, 25 214 learners and 62 educators in KwaZulu-Natal.  

Given the scale of challenges confronting the education space, Mr Price Foundation completed an in-depth critical evaluation of the EduRise model and available research and adopted a narrow and deep focus to impacting numeracy and literacy in Foundation Phase in Hammarsdale in KwaZulu-Natal.  

 “The scope of youth unemployment in South Africa requires us to grow our programmes significantly. Our new Executive Director Octavius Phukubye will greatly assist us to scale our impact. We thank all our partners for supporting us to amplify our reach and create Hope4Youth. Together, we can impact more communities and more youth facing unemployment,” said Wells.