Stories from the week

Numfundo (L) & Florence (R)

1) On Tuesday, we made our weekly home visits to deliver food and pray/sing with the elderly, orphans, sick, and hungry in the township. At our sixth and last house, we met Collen. He is 23 years old and one of three orphans that live with his granny. Normally, you think of orphans as young children, but I think of how much I needed/depended on my parents for wisdom, encouragement, etc at 23…When I saw him, I immediately felt the need to connect with him/pray for him. His part-time jobs have run out, and now he is unemployed with no skills training. We told him about our computer & business courses and prayed for him. When we finished he broke down crying, said “thank you so much for coming”, and hugged us all. His eyes, mannerisms, and actions spoke of being a forgotten one. I have been in contact with him, and am hoping he can join us for our next soccer game!
2) I have had the desire to spend more time in the township, and therefore, spent Tuesday and Wednesday night with Vincent, the pastor of The Powerhouse, and his family. It was a rich time, and allowed for several interactions that would not have happened otherwise. One of these interactions included Vivian, a lady from church that we all love. She told us about her business of selling cookies, ice cream, and cold carbonated drinks out of her house a while back, and upon our recommendation started keeping records of purchases and sales. With one month of records, I walked her through an income statement on excel and it shocked her to discover which items recorded the highest profit margin, which had the highest expense ratio, etc. We discussed multiple strategies to streamline her business and increase her net profit. These business terms become much more personal/exciting when it relates to Vivian providing basic needs to her and her 9-year old daughter, Numfundo.
3) Thursday, I met with an artist who was representing five of her friends. She said the ladies told her, “please tell that man to help us find more business…we want to work.” The art is amazing, and I am well into my due diligence to start an African arts venture over the internet. Nothing new, but I think the markets are not fully tapped, and I believe we can provide something unique compared to the competitors. I am hoping to launch a site (beta) linked to this blog in January/February. Stay tuned!