We Provide

Job creation

Siyakhulu through the ownership of Amakhowe, encourages enterprise development by remunerating participating communities according to the volumes of mushrooms harvested on any given day, in cash. This daily direct cash injection in the hands of unemployed rural women is instrumental in sustaining an estimated two thousand families living in the Mpumalanga Highveld and Southern Drakensburg areas.

REach

In season, Siyakhulu impacts the live of more than one thousand two hundred rural women, whether through direct payments of participating harvesters, training and skills development, seasonal or permanent employment.

LIFE COVER

Siyakhulu provides life insurance cover to all direct employees of Amakhowa and all of their dependents. The current number of individuals covered is in excess of one hundred.

INTERNSHIPS

Siyakhulu’s Annual Internship Programs receive hundreds of applications every year. A Siyakhulu intern can expect a six month internship with two month rotations in all elements of Amakhowa’s business.

substantive empowerment

In the past financial year, our sponsors have paid in excess of 5 million Rand to rural communities in the KZN and Mpumalanga provinces of South Africa. The amount is in payment for harvesting work performed by rural women living in the proximity of forestry areas. Over one thousand two hundred women were involved in harvesting operations from the month of October 2018 to the month of May 2019.

Community

All participating harvesters are registered on a centralized security database and operate as anonymous informants to the appropriate security agencies protecting the forests. This assists foresters to prevent the theft of timber and vandalism.

training

Siyakhulu provides regular training to Amakhowa’s employees including job-related skills, life skills and financial education in order to empower these women to operate independently.

BURSARIES & GRANTS

Siyakhulu’s bursary and grant program focuses on providing the children of Amakhowa’s staff with the tools and opportunities necessary to access tertiary education and break free of the cycle of poverty.

LAND

Siyakhulu has ear-marked 4 hectares of land in the Mpumalanga region for agricultural development and SETA accredited training center. Our goal is to have the center up and running by 2020.