Non-Profit Edutech FunDza Literacy Trust (FunDza) Secures R25 000 From MTN Donors Den Session
Non-Profit Edutech FunDza Literacy Trust (FunDza) Secures R25 000 From MTN Donors Den Session. Muizenberg-based non-profit edutech FunDza Literacy Trust (FunDza) secured R25 000 after a successful pitch at the MTN Donors Den session. Zilungile Zimela, head of marketing and PR for FunDza won the Dragon’s Den-based pitching competition, held at the 14th Trialogue Business in Society Conference on 24 June 2021.
“Youth development has become a key pillar of the MTN Foundation because we are cognisant that so many young people are unemployed, and ICT can become an area of expertise for a lot of youth – they can use it for personal skills development and economic gain,” Kusile Mtunzi-Hairwadzi, General Manager of the MTN SA Foundation told Venture Burn.
Zimela also told Venture Burn that delivering the winning pitch meant a lot to her. “As an activist at heart, I believe in up skilling young people and giving them a hand up, not a handout – this happened to me in my own life, with people believing in me and giving me opportunities,” she said. “When we prepared our pitch, we kept the needs of our readers – young people in book-scarce communities who have not had opportunities to further their studies but who want to develop themselves and be part of a supportive community – in front of us. Winning the award hasn’t quite sunk in yet – but it means so much because of all the young people who are going to benefit. We want to make sure young people start owning their destiny.”
The FunDza Literacy Trust (FunDza) is dedicated to sparking and sustaining a ‘reading revolution’ in South Africa (SA). Increased reading lies at the heart of better education and opportunities for all. Reading develops not only the language and comprehension skills necessary for academic performance but it also creates hunger for knowledge. Reading fiction, in particular, builds insight and empathy. Improved literacy is a pre-requisite for acquiring skills that lead to more employment opportunities, entrepreneurship and an improved economy.
