Trevor Noah, South African comedian and host of The Daily Show, recently donated R8m to a local project on behalf of The Trevor Noah Foundation to YouthBuild South Africa (YBSA) in response to the pressing issues surrounding impoverished communities throughout the country.
YBSA mobilises young adults between the ages of 17 and 29 who are Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET) to improve their lives and communities. It then partners with these young people as they pursue their education, prepare for future careers and grow into community leaders, building brighter futures for themselves and their neighbourhoods.
YBSA says donation from the Trevor Noah Foundation will help further connect its graduates in underserved communities to work and self-employment in the construction, tourism, hospitality as well as information and communications technology (ICT) sectors.
Preparing the youth for work
The Faranani infrastructure project is a Soweto-based project created by The Trevor Noah Foundation and YBSA to enhance the educational foundation in local schools. Through this project, young people from various communities will be provided with training, practical construction skills and the mindset to transform an educational environment.
Oupa Tshabalala, executive director at YBSA, commented: “We want to make sure that our young people are ready and mentally prepared for the world of work and build our communities.”
Encouraging educational excellence among youngsters
The Trevor Noah Foundation, in collaboration with the government, its partners and communities, has implemented dynamic school programmes to ensure that the youth of South Africa have access to well-established learning environments within their communities, giving them the best chance to succeed in life once they leave school.
Currently, there are eleven Khulani School partners and the Trevor Noah Foundation collaborates closely with these partners to increase capacity for educational excellence. The foundation says that the schools were hand-picked for exhibiting purpose-driven leadership and a commitment to excellence.
“Today’s kids are told to be the leaders of tomorrow, but they’re not given the tools. I’m excited about this partnership with YouthBuild because we’re creating life-changing opportunities for South African youth. We all deserve to achieve our fullest potential no matter where we come from,” Noah said.
