MentHer Magazine December 2022 - Top Social Impact Founders List

Social Impact Founders Club

A R E Y O U ?

R e a d y t o p u r s u e y o u r d r e a m s ?

W a n t t o l i v e a l i f e o f p u r p o s e ?

W a n t a b u s i n e s s t h a t c r e a t e s p o s i t i v e i m p a c t ?

W a n t t o m a k e m o n e y a n d d o g o o d ?

H a v e a n i d e a a n d n o t s u r e w h a t t o d o n e x t ?

W a n t t o a m p u p y o u r s i d e - h u s t l e ?

R u n n i n g o r v o l u n t e e r i n g w i t h a n o n - p r o f i t a n d w a n t t o c r e a t e m o r e s u s t a i n a b i l i t y ?

B e n e f i t s

• C o m m u n i t y o f l i k e - m i n d e d s o c i a l e n t r e p r e n e u r s

• P e e r m e n t o r s h i p a n d a c c o u n t a b i l i t y

• P r i v a t e c o m m u n i t y c h a t g r o u p

• M o n t h l y s k i l l s w e b i n a r

• A c c e s s t o e x p e r t m e n t o r s t h r o u g h t h e M e n t H e r R o t a t i o n S i g n a t u r e p r o g r a m m e

• A s I A m P u r p o s e P l a n n e r ( d i g i t a l )

• P r o f i l e i n M e n t H e r M a g a z i n e

Publisher’s

PAUSE: REEVALUATE, RETHINK, REIMAGINE

I’ve never been the type of person to set new year’s resolutions. I’ve always preferred to visualise the year ahead then go for what I imagined, which didn’t require much fleshing out as a child. As an adult, and now business owner, the process still remains the same – with the added spreadsheet. I will imagine the year ahead or the next phase and pull out my life pie segmented spreadsheet and set goals for each area of my life. This always happens in December, when I’m relaxed and can reflect on the year and what I need to adjust going into the next phase.

If you’re like me and started a business during the peak of “hard lockdown” in 2020, this is the first time you’re coming up for air in a stabilising new normal. We can now properly reflect on growth, progress, losses, lessons learned and successes. Whether you’re taking specific time to pause or something has caused you to stop, it’s always valuable to pause and reflect. To re-evaluate your strategy, re-think your objectives and reimagine the possibilities for the future - for you - and the business.

This issue is an invitation to you to take that pause. In the pause, celebrate yourself and your wins – you’ve come a long way - and you’ve made it through what felt impossible at the time. In the pause think about if you’re still in alignment, and if not, how do you course correct. And most importantly, in the pause, give yourself permission to rest and recuperate so you can go into the new year with clarity and focus.

For us at MentHer, the pause is realising what we’ve been able to do in 2 years. As a mentorship network; we’ve grown our network to 175 female entrepreneurs across Africa, over 30 mentors and over 40 hours of master classes. As a magazine; we’re 8 issues, 50 contributors, several inspirational stories and insights shared, with over 10 000 readers since our first issue in March of 2021. In as much as these two years has been bootstrapping and building the plane while flying, I can see the fruits if our labour.

For us, this is the perfect time to pause and reflect and rethink how we structure our mentorship network and add value through our magazine and other offerings. This issue marks a landmark, sharing our second Top 20 Social Impact Founders List and highlights from our Social Impact Summit. It’s also where we will be taking a step back from publishing a full digital publication and offer bite size curated content designed for the African female founder. I’m excited about this next chapter and look forward to designing a new platform for us to engage, share even more inspirational stories and valuable insights and look forward to taking this journey with you.

I wish you the best as you take your pause moment and hope what come from this time is a new passion for creating a life and business that has purpose and impact, that you will enjoy every day.

FASHION Running & Managing your preloved Boutique is Easy by WISI-OI

SOCIAL IMPACT SUMMIT Event in a few pictures - Thank you

Staying Agile, Being Adaptable by Kelebogile Molopyane

Xolani Sivunda is the co-founder of Open Heart Studios and Open Heart Gallery located eRubisana in Kwalanga township, Cape Town.

During the global pandemic he was documenting the time of corona and documenting the feeling one gets after receiving a vaccine shot. This led to the beautiful cover illustration for our December issue.

A painting he titled “vaccine effect”. While it colorfully speaks to the experience of the pandemic, for us it perfectly captured what it feels like to be in that state of transition, not knowing what’s next while evaluating

what has been. It’s how every female entrepreneur looks in the delicate and volatile dance of finding self, seeking balance, desiring peace. We are every version of ourselves, beautiful and colourful

The painting is currently showing at the Leonardslee Lakes and Gardens (LLG) Sculpture Park and Art Gallery in London along with five other pieces as part of an artwork group show titled ‘Homeage to Africa’. This artwork is also part of the Benguela Gallery Collection. Xolani’s other show, ama 2000, is on exhibition at Young Blood Africa Gallery, Cape Town.

MEET OUR MENTORS

MentHer has a unique mentorship programme wherein different experts from around the world host Master Classes each month based on their discipline. Mentees will have the opportunity to attend each master class as a group and will have access to the mentors after their session. Meet the fantastic team of mentors joining us, the mentors featured here are only those who will be hosting master classes in the first half of the year.

THE MIND IS THE BATTLE GROUND

It is that time of the year again – yes, believe it and embrace it- when we must sit back and ask ourselves if we have given this life, the time, the talents and the resources we have been entrusted with, our fullest potential. It’s truly a tough pill to swallow, but swallow you must, if you are to be honest with yourself and reevaluate the picture in its entirety, rethink what you could have done better and reimagine, from learnt experiences and failures, what the future can look like if you do better and act better.

Many of us tend to worry about what life should look like and what life could have been. We worry about things we honestly don’t have control over. We worry when we should be putting the ideas into plans and

actioning that. By the time the year ends we are dejected and feel we have failed, but the question is:

1. “What did you do with your time?”

I used to be a terrified little girl who cared what other

people would say if I took bold steps and actioned my faith and lived out the dream that was packaged in my body by God. Once I hit my 40’s –yes, now you can guess my age - I decided to define who Alice Dlamini was. I stopped living according to other people’s prescribed idea and philosophy of who I should be. I made a mental, emotional, and psychological decision that I am the breath of God. I am the sum-total of God’s divine desire that conceived me. I have a higher purpose than that which any human can ever utter. Before I was born, God had a dream about my life and who I would be. God’s dream conceived me and wrapped that dream in a body that is me. I am a walking and breathing dream of God through Christ Jesus.

2. “Were you the best steward of your time?”

Here’s the catch, I have to do exactly what I am instructed to do every day. I literally have to pause, reevaluate, rethink and reimagine every step and decision daily. I reevaluate if I am still on course. I think and pause every day to rethink through my actions and decisions because there are many moments when I, Alice, run ahead of the One, the Holy Spirit, who has called me. When that happens I know I’m operating out of fear, anxiety and worry. I start listening to the outside noise that tends to throw me completely off course.

Worry is a deadly conversation you have with yourself after comparing yourself and your situation with others who are “seemingly” achieving more than you are. It’s a conversation about yourself, about things you cannot change. Worry hinders you from what you want to achieve and succeed in. Worry hinders you from progress.

That’s why I make it a rule in my life to check-in daily, monthly, and annually with

If I have at any point moved off course – which I often do because I am weak, and it is that easy – I reimagine where I have gone wrong and how I can course

correct. In my journey, I have come to understand that all of this requires the collaboration of all of me, all my senses. I know that the battle is in the mind.

In Matthew 26:41 even the disciplined of disciples said, “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” We want to do great things and achieve much, but temptation and ego get the better of us. The mind is the battle ground. If you are not mentally strong and have the resolve to push past the daily battles - you will fall. Some battles are tougher than others, ensure you’re organized, with a plan to follow and review. God’s Kingdom operates on the currency of faith. God acts on your faith – your mandate is to be faithful to Him to deliver what He promised in your life even though the ground does not look like it will bear the fruit. Obedience is always better that sacrifice – trust me in this one, don’t live in painful regret.

myself and evaluate everything against my plans. I rethink and always ask myself

• “what am I doing”

• “why am I doing it”

• “what am I doing it for”

The triple “R” requires an understanding and an awareness of what is required of you from your talents. You cannot reevaluate, rethink and reimagine from a place of “lack”; a lack of self-awareness, self-appreciation, God-awareness, faith, patience, courage, determination and a lack of endurance. Why you ask? It’s about appreciating the importance of understanding your source and resource. What have you been dependent on? What voice are you listening to? What is your why? What is driving it? If it’s from a place of selfishness and self-reliance, then you’re already starting from a place of deficit.

As we close off 2022 and head into 2023, you have to live in His promised hope and season for your unique journey. Continuously staying teachable and make it a necessity to open yourself up to growing and enjoying the journey. The journey requires you to take mindful steps. Each step should be purposeful. Don’t think about the destination, the urgency to get there, you will miss the vital lessons if you do. Think what each step in the journey is teaching you. Reevaluate each step, rethink each step and when you feel unsure or uneasy, reimagine each step leading you down the path of righteousness. Every day you have a choice and chance. Put value in you first. Put value

in your choices, in your reevaluation, rethinking and reimagining to determine your destination. Don’t become mentally neutral and spiritually numb and emotionally absent because you will become physically bankrupt. Knowing who you are, changes how you live, changes the lens through which you look at life and gives you confidence.

Pause: ask yourself, who am I? Reevaluate everything you know about yourself, what people have said about you, your career, projects and endeavors. Rethink what it is that you want based on the “Truth”. Reimagine a great future for you and your loved ones.

ABOUT GETTING FUNDED. A CALL TO KINDNESS

Every year, my business, Take My Word, experiences an end-of-year slow down. It’s the nature of the startup space that accelerators, incubators and investors recharge their batteries and rethink their strategies over the December/January holiday period. I know it’s not me because business starts picking up again when the holiday season is over. After all, we aren’t in the retail or wholesale trades that expect bumper sales during this time.

And yet, every year when this slow-down starts, as I experience a reduction in requests and leads, I begin

the process of lambasting myself. Intellectually, I know it’s not me. I understand that the industry is taking a break. Even so, it takes an emotional

toll and I lay the blame for a reduced workload (really, a reasonable workload) firmly at my own feet.

I question my successes. I question my network reach. I question my impact. I question my business model. I question my pricing. In fact, I question every single aspect of my work, of my business and of myself and vow to start making changes before the New Year rears its scary head.

Are you like this? Do you also treat yourself badly? I sincerely hope not, because I’m pretty sure that you don’t deserve that sort of disrespect.

You are I are pedaling hard all year and we deserve a little rest. We also deserve to give

I treat myself so badly. Are you the same?

ourselves some kindness and acknowledge the value we’ve added to our client base.

During 2022, I trained about 200 startup founders across the globe. I’ve launched a #pitchcompetitions page on LinkedIn. I’ve held a weekly Clubhouse room for founders from Africa and the Middle East to learn about pitching to VCs for investment.

I’ve been interviewed and I’ve interviewed some incredible people. I have a cohort of startups that I’m taking into 2023. I’ve made my annual pro-bono contributions to the startup fraternity. More than all of this, I’ve been immensely proud of clients who have overcome innumerable challenges to launch their businesses, win competitions, bootstrap growth and get investment.

My biggest failure is that

I haven’t yet changed the world! However, as I write this short piece, I know that I’m expecting too much of myself.

Change the world! Really?

I’m pretty sure that I’ve used my time constructively – most of the time – in the ways that I love. I’ve help others take steps to change their worlds and that’s not a bad achievement.

I know that I need to take more time to reflect on the positive. Let me try.

I’m immensely grateful for the gift of time – for the time that I have had and the time that I still have. Without time, I wouldn’t be talking to you and this opportunity is a real gift.

I value every client; my clients are amazing – even those who stretch my capacity. In particular, it’s the challenging clients who force me to think critically and improve my work so that I can make an impact on them without undermining myself.

The brilliant, grateful clients are always in the majority and I’m in awe of them and the trust they place in me. Every new client is a new reward.

I’m grateful for home – family, friends and community, including my greater work community. I suspect that if they knew how I lambaste myself every year end, they’d be encouraging and reassuring and tell that I AM changing the world, one entrepreneur at a time.

So, thank you to Ntsiki Mkhize and her publishing team. You’ve shown caring for others and an understanding of the entrepreneur’s needs. MentHer is making a difference and changing the world, one entrepreneur at a time. And you are too in small and big ways.

GROWING THROUGH CHANGE

Kim James, Director – UAV Aerial Works

At some point in our life, we’ll be challenged to re-evaluate, re-think, and re-imagine. The difficult part is that generally we’re not brought up to do this in a logical way. It’s for that reason, when the time does come, we often may not even recognise the need, nor what is required of us to navigate such a process.

A few years ago, I found myself questioning my life and career. I had enjoyed almost 20 years of what I was certain was my one and only career passion. It’s what I knew, loved and most importantly, what I was good at. I was lining myself up for that top dog global role. It fed my

soul, earned me a great income, allowed me to live and work in far-away places, experience different cultures, climb up the corporate ladder, power dress, look up to and learn from leaders and build and inspire my teams. I had learned and experienced so much and was on top of my game – I was literally living the dream.

At some point however something in me started to feel like a deep ache. Was the money and status worth the evercreeping toll that the absolute relentless hamster wheel of a 24/7 corporate career started to take on me? I could work harder and handle more than most –after all, grit is my middle name. But I had lost my Why…

When I started to question how things in these juggernauts of large corporates were done, which ultimately had no bearing on how we could positively deliver the required mission and manage the client, it was time to re-evaluate.

I sought advice from career coaches (it didn’t go well; a story for another day), did my own research and consulted colleagues and mentors. I cannot quite remember how the stars aligned, but ultimately, I decided to do a master’s degree in my field of work. Although it was two years of intense juggling studies with work and personal life, it was the best decision I ever made.

It allowed me to interrogate

my specialism in the broader Human Resources world, but most importantly, it was the first time in my life I was forced to examine my own thoughts, feelings and really take stock of how I got to where I was at the time. I wondered then why it took spending a significant amount of money and effort doing a master’s degree to learn how to truly re-evaluate and to make sense of the world and my place in it.

At times we get so caught up in the ‘busy’ that even when things get scarily uncomfortable, we spend little time doing something about it. So, the corporate world still had its grip on me for a while after that, but with my newfound knowledge, insights, and dare I say wisdom, it made me restless and braver.

The big re-think in my case resulted in some major life changes and a move back to South Africa after 18 years out of the country. Partly because I had been away from my family for so long and my father was aging. Partly because I knew that I had done my time in the expat, global corporate world. I moved back with no job, but a sure (naïve) plan on how to do this career

thing better. I knew what to do and thought I would go it alone. I properly expected that I would land clients and contracts at the drop of a hat as an independent consultant – after all, I would be a big fish in a little sea, and I would ace it. Reality hit.

That Why I was looking for was nowhere to be found. My soul was not being fed and I had not gotten my mojo back. I had to re-evaluate again, and this time was forced to rethink hard.

I had failed, but I was strangely ok with that. I kept re-evaluating, rethinking, reimagining. At times it was not pretty.

And then the stars aligned again. This time, I had an opportunity to join a start up in the aviation industry - drones. From global banking to South African aviation. What was I thinking? I had always worked with People, Processes, Technology. When it boiled down to what I would be doing though, my skills aligned to wait for it… People, Processes, Technology.

There have been many wobbly moments. I’m not a natural entrepreneur, and yet I was thrust into an entrepreneurial environment as a co-owner and Director of a Commercial Drone

Operator. I needed to find my place in a male crowded industry, and I realised very quickly that this fledgling drone industry was tough to crack. Whilst navigating this new journey, the reimagining continued, and I found my Why. My mojo was back.

Whilst as a business owner I need to follow the money, most days now, I’m fortunate enough to be able to feed my soul with my work outside of building and running our business.

I know now that the process of being intentional and really asking yourself the big questions is daunting at first, but not as difficult as it might seem. I believe whatever your circumstances, making sense of the world requires the following: Be brave and pause. Be intentional, ask the big questions and never underestimate yourself and stars which sometimes, just sometimes align when you least expect them to.

www.aerialworks.co.za www.linkedin.com/in/ kimjamesdrones https://twitter.com/ KimJamesDrones +27 (0) 84 023 6114 kim@aerialworks.co.za

THE LAW OF WASTED EFFORT

Candice Pillay | Director Norton Rose Fulbright SA

SScientists explain that the process, the journey, the effort and the many failures to any endeavour is recognised as the law of wasted effort. It’s the process of nature’s efforts to reach perfection. For example, did you know that lions only succeed in 25% of the kills they undertake? This doesn’t stop them from attempting the other 75%. Or that half of the eggs of fish are eaten and half of the baby bears die before puberty, or that most of the world’s rain falls in oceans and most of the seeds of trees are eaten by birds. This does not stop nature from still continuing in its cycles of rebirth and regrowth. Nor does it curtail the greater effort for the smaller reward. For human beings this law

translates as the long walk or road to the end of a journey, it’s the many stones you have to step on to get to the other side.

The human spirit, however, celebrates success, applauds and rewards the end result. Society demands perfection only. It’s the golden standard. But success is seldom achieved on the first try.

Success has its rewards - fame and fortune to the victor. But failure also has its own rewards - experience, life lessons, perseverance, patience, courage, determination, the list goes on. No one wants to fail.

But there’s nothing like failure to propel one’s mind and body towards success or as we now come to understand it, the meeting of objectives or goals.

re-think and re-imagine?

The first step is to understand the value of failure. No one wants to fail. Everyone wants to succeed. But seldom does a person succeed on the first go. Failure brings you to a stop. It’s the mind’s disbelief at the outcome. But failure really must be a pause, not a stop. It’s a moment in time to “reflect, re-think and re-imagine” failure really must be a pause, not a stop. It’s a moment in time to “reflect, re-think and re-imagine”.

How does one take the process or failures or inaction as opportunities to re-evaluate,

Reflect

Why is it necessary to reflect? Often, we don’t see the problem that has caused the failure. We continue to stare at a point hoping that the solution or answer would emerge much like a 3D picture. Failure is the opportunity to take the proverbial three steps backwards to see the big picture.

Firstly, it’s always important to remind yourself the where, the why, the when and the how you started. Take time to plot progress on a chart. This is success in itself, as it shows that you haven’t been stagnant and have progressed. Little steps are still steps.

Secondly, stepping back also allows you to identify the bottleneck that will help you work back to the cause of the failure. It’s like untying a ball of wool. You have to find the two ends and then undo the mess in between to ensure that the two are connected seamlessly.

Thirdly, looking at the big picture causes you to consider the design flaws in your plan and this leads you to re-think.

Re-think

Pausing to reconsider one’s plans is prudent. Design flaws challenge you to consider undoing some of the work and re-doing it to commit to the design, plan or strategy that you have embarked on. Much like using wool to knit, a small mistake can be carried through in the design that will

result in the end result not looking much like the original plan. Correcting a design flaw in your strategy might be a small setback, costing you some resources but in the long run will ensure that the original plan or design or strategy is successful.

Pausing also allows a tweaking of your design-plan-strategy. What may have worked in the beginning might require an innovation or a change in direction or a return to the drawing board. This is not failure. This is necessary.

Finally re-thinking means that you can scrap a design-planstrategy and start over, which while many consider to be a failure, is what potter’s and bakers do all the time. Re-starting is actually that – an interrupted start and a restart.

Re-Imagine

In the re-start, we have a second opportunity to imagine a different start and a different outcome. How often have we changed our mind on a menu or a choice of clothing for the day? Albert Einstein reminds us that if we do the same thing repeatedly, we will get the same result. In order to change the result we need to do something differently. In the pause, consider that perhaps the first good idea can be superseded by a second great idea.

In a world of technological innovation and 4IR we must celebrate innovation and embrace rapidly emerging ideas, replacing old technology with new, replacing old methodologies with disruptive market practices. Re-imagination

requires boldness to go where no-one has gone before and to challenge the norm.

Remember…

Pausing in failures allows you to find your great epiphany. There are many great stories of downtrodden scientists or inventors who found their great idea when they gave up. Even in biblical times, Jonah received insight in the whale’s belly, Daniel tamed lions, Joshua caused the sun to stand still.

Reflect in order to receive your epiphany. Failure brings humility. Humility brings new insight. There is nothing like failure to fire up the creative juices to forge ahead.

Finally, don’t discount the value of repeated effort. It might seem like a series of failures will never lead to success.

However, you receive invaluable skill and experience by repeating processes. You are perfecting some of your processes, you are refining others. You are becoming the expert on how to succeed one step at a time. Just like the lions get stronger with each chase, they need the failed chases to prepare them for the one they actually catch.

Wasted effort is necessary, failures are necessary. It births in you the qualities you need to reach success.

TOP 20 SOCIAL IMPACT FOUNDERS LIST 2022

Top Social Impact Founders List 2022

MentHer believes in not only empowering women, but also celebrating them. We are celebrating our first full year of publishing our newly established digital magazine. What better way to mark this achievement than to acknowledge the impact that social entrepreneurs have made in society during these trying times. In our September issue we put out a call for nominations of female founders running an organisation that has a social impact and we were so impressed with the nominees put forward from across the African continent and abroad. The criteria for nominees was that they had to be female founders, operating a social impact focused organisation that is formally registered and running longer than 6 months. We received over 50 nominations and

worked through the list to select the top 20 looking at the amount of impact they’ve had in terms of revenue or grant funding generated, number of people employed or volunteers in service, number of people impacted through their work, percentage ownership by female founders and women of colour, consideration for the LGBTIA+ community, inclusion of persons with disabilities and alignment with the sustainable development goals. The 20 finalists represented here collectively represent a combined 70 years of social impact work, over 140 jobs created, more that R 13 million in annual revenue or grant funding and over 162 000 lives impacted. We hope you are as inspired by them as we are, here’s your Top 20 Social Impact Founders List 2022.

Founder

Palesa Ramonyalioa

Sakhubusha Holdings

About the organisation: Country: South Africa

Bolawana Mags Shivanda Chioma Ukpabi

Founder Founder

Bloem Girls Rock Foundation Kahdsole Designs

About the organisation: Business website: www.bloemgirlsrock.org Country: South Africa

About the organisation: Business website: www.shopkahdsole.com Country: Nigeria

Ethel Okonkwo

Founder

Ethel Flair

About the organisation: Business website: ethelflair.com.ng Country: Nigeria

Kelebogile Bogosi

Founder

Lebo Got Eats

About the organisation: Courntry: South Africa

Lufuno Rasoesoe

Lajoya Holding (Pty) Ltd Trading as TOSH Dertergents

About the organisation: Country: South Africa Business website: www.toshdetergents.co.za

Natsai Musarurwa

Founder

Rated 18 Shoes

About the organisation:

Business website: www.rated18shoes.com Country: Zimbabwe

Shona Mc Donald

Founder Founder

Shonaquip SE

About the organisation: Business website: www.shonaquipse.org.za Country: South Africa

Yoliswa Tshabalala

Founder

About the organisation: Business website: www.imizizi.co.za Country: South Africa

Sibusiso Busi Raphekwane

The Transformation Legacy

About the organisation: Business website: www.transformationlegacy.com Country: South Africa

Founder Founder

Nkateko Mathebula

Founder

Imizizi Master Spelling Bee

About the organisation: Business website: www.masterspellingbee.co.za Country South Africa

Nomalanga Sitole

The Voice Shammah Events

About the organisation: Business website: thevoicewithin.co.za Country: South Africa

FOCUS SDG FOCUS

Chido Dzinotyiwei

Founder

Vambo Academy

About the organisation: Business website: www.vamboacademy.com Country: South Africa

Mponeng Seshea

Imizizi

About the organisation:

Business website: www.imizizi.co.za Country: South Africa

Sphesihle Mavimbela

Founder

Sibuyiselwe Foundation

About the organisation: Country: South Africa

Phumi Korber

Founder

WISI-OI

About the organisation: Business website: www.wisioi.com Country: South Africa

Zandile Mkhwanazi

About the organisation: Business website: www.girlcode.co.za

Country: South Africa

CEO COO Founder

SDG FOCUS

Nonhlanhla Joye

Umgibe farming organics & training institution

About the organisation: Business website: www.umgibe.org Courntry: South Africa

Tinyiko Simbine

About the organisation: Business website: www.girlcode.co.za Country: South Africa

SDG FOCUS

Neo Mcinga

Girl Code MeD8 Media

About the organisation: Business website: www.med8.co.za Country: South Africa

FOCUS

YOU GO GIRLS

Global Girl Project

As a community leader and as a creator of offerings for others around the world, I often get caught up in the rush of it all and forget to pause and take time to reevaluate and reimagine. I’m sure that I’m not the only one with this challenge, and over the last two years many of us have been offered an opportunity to do just that; to take a step sideways and rethink the way that we do so many things.

Over eight years ago I founded Global Girl Project, an international NGO that mobilises the most marginalised, yet most powerful, girls who are part of the Global Majority to become leaders and agents of social change. One might imagine that in that time Global Girl

Project has made many shifts and side steps in order to achieve our mission, and you would be right. We’ve grown from an offering that worked with 10 girls per year to working with over 300 girls annually. This necessary shift in impact was made entirely possible by the pause that many of us experienced over the last two years, the COVID Pause perhaps.

Prior to 2020, Global Girl Project was running annual exchange programs for groups of 10 girls at a time, flying them from places such as Haiti, Sierra Leone, Rwanda and Pakistan to Nepal for five life-shifting weeks of intensive leadership training. The impact on both the girls and their communities, as they travelled back home to run their individual social action projects, was palpable. However, with the end of the world as we knew it we were offered a very backhanded way to rethink and then reimagine the way that we create community and global change through the power of our girls.

Since the very beginning, when Global Girl Project was simply a rumbling of an idea, I knew that our focus would always be to reach, work with, and mobilise the girls who are most isolated within communities around the world. Our mission has always been

to work with the girls who many others cannot or choose not to reach. Whether it be due to lack of internet access, English language skills, girls’ inability to do activities outside of the home due to cultural norms, childcare duties or simply due to the thinking that girls don’t need to learn how to lead. Many local, national and international organisations don’t do enough work to mobilise isolated girls who live in poverty within the Global Majority. Global Girl Project intentionally aims to fill that gap.

You might ask how a small, feminist charity has managed to work in such communities around the world, and the answer is very simple; through collaboration. I know intrinsically that the power of the collective is far more impactful than that of the individual person or organisation. True partnerships with well-established organisations within each of our partner countries, enable us to work with girls who are otherwise isolated and often do not have freedoms outside of their homes. Through our partnerships we are able to work in local languages and within local cultural contexts, however our work includes an international dimension to teach girls about something so

powerful that many try to keep its reality a secret.

At Global Girl Project our offerings take girls through a journey that shows them, quite often for the first time, that they have a voice. They learn that this voice is their power, and that the power of their voice can have the most impact in collaboration with their communities, both locally and internationally. We teach our girls that they have a responsibility to use that powerful voice to create the change that they want to see in their communities.

won’t be able to make use of her education or speak about what she wants in a relationship, or stand up for herself against the violence that is perpetrated against her. Voice and leadership are relevant in all areas of girls’ lives. It is for this reason that we must teach all of our girls that they already are leaders and that their voice is a tool they have full access to. We must find the girls who feel voiceless, who are isolated within their homes and communities, and work collaboratively to mobilise them for social change.

At Global Girl Project we are changing the world through the power of our girls. We are asking girls to reflect, pause, and then take action, and we know how powerful this can be. As this year draws to a close and we enter a new season of change, I challenge you to take a step sideways, and take your own moment to pause and reflect. In that moment of re-evaluation question where you can take steps to do what you are doing, in work or in life, in an even more impactful way.

The answer is very straightforward: if a girl doesn’t know she has a voice, and if a girl doesn’t know how to use her voice to share her thoughts and ideas for change, she

To become a Global Changemaker yourself and donate monthly please go to our Website for further details.

You might be wondering why we teach girls about being a leader and using their own voice instead of focusing on issue specific work such as education, sexual health, or genderbased violence?

Staying Agile, Being Adaptable

When I received the topic for this issue, I couldn’t help but think of Nokia and Blackberry. There was a time when these two brands were leading the market. In fact, there was a time when anybody with a Nokia cellphone thought “there’s Nokia and the rest”. Then, Blackberry came into the market to disrupt, offering the BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) way before WhatsApp was even a concept. I’m sure you’re wondering if they were leading with such great innovations, how come they didn’t survive? I invite you to make time and read up on

both these interesting cases to understand the value of Reevaluating, Rethinking and Reimagining new possibilities. In the same breath, I ask you, where are you and

your business in relation to technology?

We have been thrust into a technological era, where digital transformation is the order of the day. Everything is expected to happen in an instant. Things that we thought were beyond imagination are happening in our backyard (who is ready to go to take up citizenship on Mars or in the Metaverse?). Sit back and soak that in.

PAUSE and ask yourself how this makes you relevant amidst flying cars, artificial intelligence, virtual reality solutions, drone technology and the power of social media in relation to your services and offerings.

REEVALUATE your service offerings. Is there something you can do better or faster for your customers? Is there a system you can employ online - be it free or paid for that can help you improve your business model? Have you considered big data? It’s here and can help you reevaluate as it makes available to you valuable and reliable information about your customers. It can help you study the trends and create a unique selling proposition.

How about looking the top 10 trending technologies to see how they are relevant to what you are doing and incorporate one or more to help you gain competitive advantage?

Taking into cognisance that insanity is defined as doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting different results, is it time to RETHINK your business model? Are there new processes, systems and models that need to be employed to help you move forward including ways to keep employees

engaged and productive? Do they need to be coming to the office every day? Can they be productive while working from home? Have you taken advantage of cloud computing and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) to help bring in the professional flair despite how small your company may be?

for you and your business where you’re still relevant and thriving. What does that look like to you? How have you incorporated technology to advance your business? Have you created a virtual platform to access more clients for your events? Have you created a strong online presence and are you frequently updating your social media platforms? What smart solutions can you come up with that offer gratification for your customers while increasing productivity and enhancing decision-making?

Who are your competitors and what are they doing differently from you?

Remember that Nokia and Blackberry case study.

When you have done the above, then REIMAGINE a new future

Finally, as the main engine behind the business, who is your support system? Who is mentoring and coaching you? Entrepreneurship is seriously an extreme sport that one cannot win without a solid support structure.

Surround yourself with people that understand your vision and who will be your sounding board as you REEVALUATE, RETHINK, and REIMAGINE new possibilities.

Indegineous

NUTRITIOUS FOOD THAT ARE SLOWLY FORGOTTEN

It’s that time of the year where performances are reviewed and one has to pause, look back and ask the question “have all set goals for 2022 been achieved?”

Most people are looking forward to the holidays, because of body and mind exhaustion, at this point most people are on a ‘go slow’ with the pace of execution of tasks going at a very slow rate. The reviews we make at this time are not only work related, but also holistic i.e. .

If all three are still well maintained at this time of the year, WELL DONE!

SUSTAINING INDIVIDUALITY

Since the beginning of time human beings have enjoyed activities involving families and communities, however, in the 21st century all these activities are now spear-headed by celebrities and people that have powerful influence over others. These influences are recently powered by social media which is easily accessible and has many followers. People’s behaviours and eating patterns are heavily influenced by these

Spiritually - how has one grown? Mentally - how has one stabilised in the environment? Health and wellness - how has one been able to sustain body health and nutritional status.

Kholeka Mkhize Registered Dietitian

platforms. Fast and easy/ convenient life has become more popular to such an extent that indigenous food is viewed as taboo and seldom available in popular supermarkets and restaurants. Some people are even shy to be seen eating pap with traditional morogo (a type of leafy green) mixed with nuts or tomatoes - which contrary to popular belief - is a healthy meal. Morogo has a protein content of up to 36% and contain vitamin A and vitamin C; also complement the low levels of calcium, magnesium and iron in maize. Another example is Mopani worms a local delicacy in the northern region of South Africa, they are a high source of protein offering more than 55g per 100g of serving. They contain high measures of iron, calcium and phosphorus.

Chickpeas (izindlubu – in Zulu) are full of fiber, which offers several benefits for digestive health. The fiber in chickpeas is mostly soluble, meaning that it blends with water to form a gellike substance in your digestive tract. Soluble fiber may help increase the number of healthy bacteria in your gut and prevent the overgrowth of unhealthy bacteria. This may lead to reduced risk of some digestive conditions, such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and colon cancer.

Chickpeas may also help support digestive health by improving the frequency, ease, and consistency of bowel movements which most people suffer from due to reduced fiber diets and lack of exercise. Chickpeas may help reduce risks of several chronic illnesses like heart diseases by lowering cholesterol; (chickpeas are a great source of several minerals, such as magnesium and potassium, which may support heart health by helping prevent high blood pressure — a major risk factor for heart disease). Chickpeas promotes body’s production of butyrate, a fatty acid that may reduce inflammation in colon cells, possibly decreasing the risk of colon cancer. Furthermore, chickpeas contain saponins, which are plant compounds that may help prevent the development of certain cancers.

Saponins have also been studied for their role in inhibiting tumor growth. Chickpeas also provide several vitamins and minerals that may lower your cancer risk, including B vitamins, which may be associated with a lower risk of breast and lung cancers. B vitamins are especially important for those who are pregnant or breastfeeding. These vitamins aid in fetal brain development, and they reduce the risk of birth defects. Chickpeas may help prevent and manage diabetes due to their blood-sugar-

regulating effects. The fiber and protein in chickpeas help stop your blood sugar levels from rising too quickly after eating, which is an important factor in diabetes management. Indulging in all sorts of legumes (beans, lentils and chickpeas) on a daily basis prevents major illness and promotes good health.

MENTHER WELLNESS

Iron is essential in making haemoglobin, a protein in red blood cells. These red blood cells help carry oxygen throughout your body. Apart from bone mineralization.

Calcium has an essential role as a hormone messenger. This means that calcium is responsible for communicating hormonal messages to your DNA for their functions to be expressed.

Vitamin B complex may help prevent infections and help support or promote: Cell health, growth of red blood cells, energy levels, eyesight, brain function, digestion, appetite, proper nerve function, hormones and cholesterol production, cardiovascular health and muscle tone.

Phosphate is necessary for the formation of bone and teeth. Phosphate is also used as a building block for several important substances, including those used by the cell for energy, cell membranes.

“If you have good thoughts, they will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely” borrowed from Roald Dahl; so if you eat well and healthy, without being shy of the type of food eaten or pressured by the ‘trends’ - you will look

happy and younger.

As we “PAUSE: Re-evaluate, Re-think, Re-imagine”; take a good rest, a field that has rested gives a beautiful crop. Next year will be a better year for other good achievements. Happy holidays!

MAKE IT MAKE SENSE MAKE IT MAKE SENSE

As societies evolve on economic, dietary and education facets, inter alia, so too does the prevalence of diseases in that society. Continuous monitoring and appreciation of such patterns in disease is critical for the public health sector of a country as this directs efforts related to reducing morbidity (sickness) and mortality (death rates) amongst its population. In this article we shall focus our attention on an illness that is seeing a rising prevalence among South Africans; South African women particularly: Systemic Lupus Erythematosus. Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE), a form of Lupus, is an inflammatory condition that affects

multiple organs in the body. The cause of Lupus remains largely unknown but it is understood to be an autoimmune disease. An autoimmune disease is a disease in which the body’s immune system unfortunately attacks its own healthy tissue. Examples

of other autoimmune diseases include Rheumatoid arthritis and Type 1 Diabetes.

Other forms of lupus can be induced by taking medications such as isoniazid (Tuberculosis treatment) and hydralazine (Hypertension treatment).

SLE occurs worldwide and more than 90% of cases occur in women with symptoms usually starting in their child-bearing age. The ratio of patients between females and males is 9:1 with cases occurring more commonly in Africans and Asians.

As mentioned, SLE can affect multiple organs in the body therefore a variety of symptoms can potentially be experienced by an individual. Symptoms typically follow a remitting and remission course.

MBBCh (Wits)

A patient living with SLE has said of Lupus, “When you have an invisible illness, it’s had to explain to someone who doesn’t have a clue. It’s a daily struggle of being in pain or feeling sick on the inside when you look fine on the outside”.

That is generally how most patients who present to the doctor’s room appear, just fine or just ill from a common virus. “It’s like having flu everyday” as described by Toni Braxton who is living with Lupus. Other prominent persons living with Lupus include Selena Gomez, Nick Cannon and Seal.

Systems of the body that are commonly involved in the disease process of SLE include the skin, joints, kidney, cardiovascular system and nervous system. More serious illness occurs when the kidney, cardiovascular and nervous systems are involved. General symptoms include fatigue, joint pain and fever. That doesn’t sound too different from your ordinary flu, right? Or perhaps even more recently familiar; Covid-19?

A distinguishing feature however

is the reoccurrence or persistence of these symptoms. Some patients may develop the infamous ‘butterfly’ rash which spans the nasal bridge and cheeks , bodily rashes, mouth ulcers, swelling of legs, swelling around the eyes, stroke, seizures, depression, alopecia, migraine or feeling shortness of breath.

All these symptoms are generally unspecific and “allover-the-place” so to say. It is this unspecific and diverse nature of disease that has led to delays in diagnosis of patients in the past. Today there exists a generally high index of suspicion among doctors. Should a doctor encounter a patient with this complex milieu of symptoms, (s)he will take bloods, do x-rays and other investigations to help rule-in or rule-out SLE. When a diagnosis is established, treatment ensues. Patients with SLE are managed by a multidisciplinary team usually led by a Rheumatologist, a specialist doctor. Physiotherapists, occupational therapists, psychologists, inter alia, form part of this team. In cases of more serious illness other specialists doctors are approached viz a nephrologist, cardiologist, or neurologist.

SLE has a highly variable prognosis among patients. The course of diseases ranges from relatively benign disease to rapid progress and at worst fatal illness. SLE unfortunately does not have a cure yet, but treatment efforts help to keep symptoms at bay. Protection from organ damage is a key focus of intervention too. The onus is on the patient to adhere to mediation, honour appointments and report any new symptoms that may develop. Another important consideration is the effect SLE can have on one’s occupation, education, relationships and finances thus personal and family counselling is offered to patients as part of their wholistic management. Another patient shares on her path to lupus diagnosis,

This is an experience I hear too often among patients unfortunately. Should any of the symptoms or the trajectory of illness discussed above be relatable; I might advise a pause. A pause to keep that apple away and go see a doctor that day.

“I was diagnosed with lupus after many months of trying to find out what was wrong with me”.

CHAFING TODAY, BRAGGING TOMORROW. RUN LIKE YOUR PHONES AT 1 PERCENT

Ihave only run one international marathon, and that was The London Marathon, a few years ago. The New York Marathon is on my ‘bucket list’, so I was glued to both the TV and my couch on Sunday 6th November ’22.

I giggled to myself as I debated with myself. In fact it was like a very busy ‘ping -pong match’ in my brain.

• I am now ‘too old’ for marathons

• But how spectacular would it be to run New York.

• But it’s FLIPPING FAR. I am only running 10kms and, sometimes a 21kmit’s a hellva stretch to run a 42.2km marathon.

• Everyone has excruciatingly painful expressions on their faces.

• I now remember the inner thigh chaffing, blisters and losing my toenails!

While this internal dialogue was going on, I suddenly observed that runners were laughing as they ran past the witty, silly and funny spectators’ signs!

It made me remember how the ridiculous spectators’ signs compelled me to keep going, and offered a much needed mental distraction, as I pounded the roads of my various marathons and the Comrades.

This ‘percolated’ in my brain

overnight, and then ‘tiggered’ a new habit from Monday 7th November.

I have started making a concerted effort to send inspiring / fun / intriguing / fascinating pictures, poems and articles to family and friends that live in different cities around South Africa, and those living in other countries.

Here’s some research to nudge you ‘to do the same’. It’s from a study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.

The researchers did a series of experiments involving nearly 6,000 participants in total, in order to explore the value of reaching out to people “just because” or “just to catch up.”

Across all of the study’s experiments, the researchers found that initiators of text messages underestimated how much the recipients appreciated the contact.

also discovered that checkins are especially welcome when the

is unexpected—that is, when they come from someone you aren’t super close with or who you haven’t talked to in a long time.

However, reaching out and sending a quick (& relevant) text message is easy peasy.

This is a ‘flipping hard’ time of the year for MANY people. It’s Madvember into the long last few weeks of work in December. Connect with loved ones, boost their endorphins and yours. Pausing to connect with ourselves and others goes a long way.

I’ll start this off with an ‘Energy’ chat, by mentioning another ‘Non-Negotiable Boundary’ for myself.

• I prioritise my sleep. I absolutely don’t get less than 7 hours sleep at night.

In addition, I don’t work after 8pm. If necessary I am asleep at 8.30pm and get up at 4am with ‘va va voom’ energy in my system (brain & body) in order to get two hours of work done. At that early peaceful time of the day – it’s physiologically easier to think clearly. Try this, I guarantee that you’ll take 2 hours in the morning versus 4 hours of ‘sluggish persistence’ the night before.

Good, quality sleep is your SUPERPOWER! Everything else in life pales into insignificance (in my view).

If you are battling to get at least 7 hours of sleep per night, or having interrupted sleep, then please contact us for a free sleep eBook as well as a

self-paced online course called ‘Sleep is your Superpower’. www.mybigsmartup.com/ offers/KBqFGvG4/checkout

• Another way to BOOST your ENERGY is to ensure that your brain gets enough OXYGEN – your brain needs this ‘fuel’! There is a lot of research about Alzheimer’s showing that exercise will protect you against this dreaded disease. We all know that exercise and getting oxygen to your brain is vital for your brain. One of the main benefits is that your brain produces a protein called BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor), which is literally like a fertilizer for your brain. High levels of BDNF play a huge role in how well we age, how well we learn and perform mentally. BDNF can even be thought of as a natural antidepressant.

Here are a few ways to exercise, in a way that you don’t need the willpower or discipline to get going!

• 2 minutes on a mini-trampoline between your meetings

• Do squats every time you put the kettle on, refill your water bottle, and / or every time you flush the toilet.

• Set your alarm to go off 7 mins earlier in the morning and don’t hit snooze!

So what, now what?

If you would like to do a 10 min online assessment called Resilience Up (Underpinned by 25 years of EQ research and algorithms).

Please contact Joni Peddie: joni@resilientpeople.co.za. Mobile: +27824909975.

If you like to read other blogs and do quick ‘wellbeing’ quizzes please go to our website: www.resilientpeople.co.za

1.

2. Holiday package – R 4995 for clothing, consultation and fittings – a selection of fabric will be available for you to choose from.

3. End of year package – R 2995.00 includes 1x consult 2 x fittings (clothing budget at your discretion)

4. 2023 courses – ALL courses @ R 13 000.00 (normally R 18 000) book in December – end of February ’23 – all courses are 6 – 8 weeks (reliant on your schedule)

MentHer Social Impact Summit 2022

THANK YOU

We appreciate your attendance as we celebrated Global Entrepreneurship week. As well as came together to reignite ideas and expand networks in support of female founders creating social impact through their business.

MONARCH

Image | Style | Etiquette | Presentation | EQ Communication | Personal Growth & Development

As metamorphosis transforms a caterpillar into a butterfly, so do the many stages of life transform young girls into women. Monarch™, inspired by the Monarch Butterfly exists to equip women with soft skills as they evolve and discover the that power they have within.

School Programmes Young Proffesionals to C-Suite Executives

Princess Programme

• A confidence building programme for young girls aged 14 -18 to learn deportment, etiquette and presentation skills.

• Develop or improve on self-image, self-worth and personal growth.

Queen Status

• An entrepreneurship programme designed to empower young girls with business skills.

• Offers access to startup opportunities for secondary and tertiary learners.

A corporate development programme designed to grow with women in corporate.

Taking their confidence and people skills from good to great in how they show up in their role.

• Personal branding, digital presence, style and image design and consultation.

• Grooming, social and digital etiquette, wardrobe audit and style guide.

• As I Am: EQ, personal growth and development, with co-designed growth path commitments

• Building confidence through presentation & communication skills.

Our Contributors

Thank you for coming together to make this possible and for the work you do to support and empower women

Alice Dlamini (Leadership)

International Speaker and women in leadership development consultant

Candice Pillay (Strategy) Director at Norton Rose Fulbright

Joni Peddie (Resilience)

CEO of Resilient People Team Performance Strategist www.resilientpeople.co.za

Julia Lynch (Inclusivity)

Global Girl Project

Kelebogile Molopyane (Technology)

Chief Executive @ AB4IR www.ab4ir.org

Kholeka Mkhize (Wellness) Dietician / Nutritionist kholeka-mkhize

Kim James (Personal Growth) SACAA Commercial Drone Operator | Drone Security | Drone Surveys | Drone Advisory

Dr Mpilo Sithole (Health) MBBCh (Wits)