What are the literacy levels in South Africa and how do they affect the economy? For that matter, what literacy am I talking about? Reading & Writing? Mathematical? No, I’m talking about Financial Literacy.

South Africa has been producing alarmingly low literacy and numeracy skills levels out of its education system… but not for long.

Check out Jules’ latest article featured in the Star Workplace to find out more.

Read the PDF article here.

Posted under Blog - General, Blog - Media

Nomsa trains the Excellence Ambassadors

In the words of TP Mokoena, Nomsa is quickly becoming our resident celebrity. This article was published on the DCS government Intranet after a group of excellence ambassadors, who are the winners of the 2007 to 2010 awards, attended the EX AMB training on financial management at the East London Management Area in January.

Feedback from the excellence ambassadors was very positive. The participants were empowered and committed themselves to roll out the training to their colleagues. Check out the article here.

Well done Nomsa and well done team, you make us proud!

Posted under Blog - General, Blog - Media

Doing well by doing good has been Jules’ philosphy during this time of worldwide economic turmoil.

Jules knew she had to reduce the costs of training, so instead of hiring highly-trained, experienced trainers, she took unskilled trainers and taught them how to train the content to their own communities.

This is just one of the insights within Jules’ new article that was published in this months’ Entrepreneur magazine.

Check it out here.

Posted under Blog - General

I am so proud to announce our newest update for the total number of learners trained to date is……

51,365

That’s such an incredible achievement, that means 51,365 South Africans have a greater understanding of how to manage their finances better and 51,365 South Africans are more empowered because of us and our wonderful clients that we work with.

Hip Hip Hooray!!!

Posted under Blog - General

Access to Bottom of the Pyramid markets. Everyone wants it! Over the past few years it’s been dawning on marketers that there are a lot of people living at the ‘Bottom of the Pyramid’.

Our company has been delivering community-based financial literacy education workshops for a few years now. We help unemployed and unskilled people in communities set up their own training companies, and then provide them with the training, content, mentoring and business-in-a-box tools to be able to deliver the workshops locally.

Jules’ new article, about this, is featured in the latest Practical Marketing Magazine.

Check it out here.

Posted under Blog - Media

“You teach a woman, you teach a village”

Footprint Trainers are making waves. Here is a clipping of a recently published article about a young and talented woman, Dimakatso Mbewo who is making an impact on the community she lives in, through Financial Literacy Workshops.

We are so proud of you and what you have accomplished.

Read the full article here.

Posted under Blog - Media

This is a huge congratulatory post for the Footprint team.

You guys have really outdone yourselves, today we found out that our total number of learners that we have trained has just hit 42,647… That’s such an incredible achievement, that means 42,647 South Africans have a greater understanding of how to manage their finances better and 42,647 South Africans are more empowered because of us and our wonderful clients that we work with.

Hip Hip Hooray!!!

Posted under Blog - General

One of Footprint’s star-trainers, Tshepo Malibe, has left his own footprints and, by extension, those of Footprint in the memory of a small rural community of Verena in Mpumalanga.

You see! Tshepo is one of those Footprint trainers who not only see their work in the community as something that must be done on behalf of a client, but also sees it as an opportunity to contribute to community upliftment.

On the 24th of March 2011, I had the privilege of representing Footprint in what I thought was going to be a small, certificate- handing ceremony in Verena. At least, that’s what I expected when I left Johannesburg that morning! To my surprise! I arrived to a full house of close to 500 jubilant ABET and other skills development graduates who came from far and wide to celebrate the important milestones in their lives.

I arrived to a festive and colourful mood, with groups of Ndebele women performers, dressed in their beautiful traditional gears ululating and singing; “My mother was illiterate, My father was illiterate, that’s why I am an ABET Learner!” For a moment there I thought I had come to a wrong function as I could not recognise anyone there. To set my confused mind at rest, a friendly usher gave me a warm handshake and guided me to the VIP table nearby. I was calmed by the sight of our star-trainer, Tshepo’s broad smile and hand-shake. Then I knew I was at the right function.

I was still confused about what was happening! Again, our dear Tshepo, perhaps sensing my discomfort, whispered in my ear that I should not worry as he will explain everything to me. In time, he did explain to me.

You see, our dear Tshepo, like a true Footprinter, has established a relationship with various ABET Centre managers in the greater Kwa-Mhlanga/Kwaggafontein area, through which he recruits learners for his Community Financial Literacy training. In return, he helps the ABET Centres with essentials such as stationary and other consumables. There is also a mutual referral system between the ABET Centres and Tshepo, where ABET Centres refer their learners to Tshepo’s training sessions and Tshepo also refer his learners, who can benefit from ABET training to these ABET Centres.

It turns out that some of these ABET learners have not only graduated from the ABET centres, but have also moved on to receive skills as plumbers, carpenters, electricians etc. So, the celebrations for the day were to celebrate all of the above achievements and more! It was also about the fact that these learners, who have just acquired skills as plumbers and electricians, were also given Financial Literacy training by Tshepo! How appropriate?

So, the certificate-handing function was a joint effort by Footprint, the ABET Centres and the Mpumalanga Regional Training Trust- an agency of the Mpumalanga Department of Education tasked with skills training – to award and honour these learners for the triple-achievement of graduating as ABET Learners, as trades persons and for having gone through our own financial literacy training.

To crown a colourful and eventful day, my turn came to play chancellor for the day, by handing out these sought-after financial literacy certificates to happy learners. So, thanks to Tshepo, not only has Footprint become a household name in Verena, but I got to become ‘Mr. Chancellor’, even if it’s just for a day!

Bravo Tshepo! You have made us all proud!.

Posted under Blog - Personal

Jules rocks the Sunday Times.

Yesterday Jules’ new article appeared in the Careers section of the Sunday Times Newspaper.  She talks about Footprint, how it started and what the future holds for the company.  With a bright time ahead of us, this interesting article chats about some of the challenges and soloutions involving Footprint.

To read the PDF article, simply click here.

Posted under Blog - Media

Hello Hello,

Two Hello’s, simply because it’s my second introduction to the same family, maybe different households, but the same family.

It was March, 2 years ago, when I wrote my first introductory Avo blog - introducing myself to my new family (Avocado Vision).

Indeed since arriving at Avo, I have been stretched, loved and challenged. The result - a young woman who has a better understanding of her strengths, thresholds and possibly even my life purpose. This learning converted to the evolution of my next life within the Avo family - Key Account Manager for Footprint.

What does that mean for me? Most importantly, it means I have strong permission to use my FUTURIST strength - which means I am constantly inspired by the future… what could be… not settling for today’s woes and challenges, but constantly looking for a better tomorrow.

In a nutshell, that is what Footprint means to me. As Account Manager, Ambassador and Activator of Footprint projects, it gives me great pleasure to dedicate every day to finding new ways of using this incredible vehicle to bring messages to, educate, and up-skill the people of South Africa. I’m helping them make better decisions in their lives, for their families and taking power of their future.

Its an incredible gift for me to continue what I call my Ambassadorial Journey, which started in Umtata, Transkei… I began as an ambassador for my family and my school, when I moved to out of home at the age of 13 to pursue a modelling career in Johannesburg. Then I became an ambassador for the youth of South Africa when I won Miss Teen South Africa, then my ambassadorial roles took me forward to the World Economic Forum and Fairplay For Africa (HIV Campaign all over Africa). Now, Footprint - I literally represent the future of South Africa, ensuring that I share the capabilities of Footprint to empower those less fortunate and take our country to the next level, to a level of individual independence and empowerment.

According to Marcus Buckingham, author of Now Discover Your Strengths, the other part of the FUTURISTIC person, is the ability to lift the spirits of other people, as they often look to you to paint a picture that lifts their sights and therefore their spirits. I plan to practise this skill and share it with the whole of Africa by using this phenomenal organisation called Footprint, as we “build Africa, one person at a time”!

Posted under Blog - General