Helping South Africans Become Self-employed Improves Their Mental Health
Helping South Africans Become Self-employed Improves Their Mental Health. October is Mental Health Awareness Month and a good time to consider the link between unemployment and mental health. This is especially pertinent in South Africa, where the official unemployment rate is 32.9% (Q1 2024), the real unemployment rate is much higher, and youth unemployment is at 45.5%, according to Stats SA. Although there are many causes of mental health challenges, in 2022, a paper by the University of Cape Town’s Alan J Flisher Centre for Public Mental Health showed that unemployment is one of them. The paper “showed a link between a lack of access to the labour market and depression, a relationship driven by increased odds for those not in employment, education or training.”
Taking Care of Business (TCB)’s co-founder, Tracey Gilmore, has seen the effect of unemployment on South Africans since they began TCB in 2010. “Many people who join our enterprise development programmes are visibly depressed when they arrive due to the trauma of years of unemployment or under-employment,” she says. “Our two-year programmes effectively train unemployed South Africans to become self-employed. We are successful thanks to our holistic approach that deals with each participant’s head (knowledge), heart (mental health) and hands (practical experience). All three are imperative for the person to become successfully self-employed,” she says.
“Our participants are taken through an intensive programme where they are taught business, computer and financial skills along with business mentorship and important life skills. They start their own businesses and start earning an income within the first month of joining the programme,” explains Gilmore. “In our 14 years of experience, we have found that one of the biggest benefits to our (mostly women) participants is the counselling they receive to deal with their past traumas and improve their mental health. We do this through group and, if required, individual counselling sessions, where participants are given an opportunity to speak about their mental health challenges. As most are dealing with poverty and unemployment-related challenges, they see that they are not alone, and they begin to support each other. This, combined with the opportunity to work hard to become self-employed and self-reliant often results in the unemployed participant flourishing into a self-confident business owner.”
Neliswa Poni is one of TCB’s many participants who has benefited from TCB’s head, heart and hands approach. Married without children, Neliswa became unemployed in 2020 when she lost her job. “Things got very bad,” she says. “My husband’s salary was not enough, and I was slowly going into depression.” She tried selling wigs, but without the business skills it did not work out. “I decided to enrol in a sewing short course and that is how I started sewing but I did not know how to make it a business.”
Neliswa’s life changed completely when she saw a Facebook post about TCB’s Remake programme, which teaches seamstresses to run professional businesses. “I saw a chance to perfect my skills and build my confidence at the same time, so I applied,” she says. She began the programme in July 2023 and graduated in July 2024.“I have gained a lot from the programme. I feel like I have been given a second chance in life,” says Neliswa.
“We had business mentors who were so patient and understanding and taught us everything about business.Now I know how to do record keeping and budgeting for my business and my household. TCB has the best coaches, it is a life-changing experience. I know how to handle life’s challenges. I have learnt to love myself and accept things I cannot change. I have learned to forgive. I have peace now. I apply what the coaches taught us in everything I do and it is very helpful. Thank you to TCB and the coaches for changing my life,” she says.
Now, Neliswa has a registered business, called 7STITCHES Pty (Ltd). “I chose this name because I gained self-awareness, and the programme brought a positive change in my life. Its seven stitches of perfection and the biblical numerology seven, symbolises completion or perfection. I work from home, and I specialise in traditional wear, beautiful bespoke garments, and ready-to-wear items. I sell my products to people for special events like weddings and matric balls, and my everyday wear is for everyone, including kids.” She has big plans to grow her enterprise. “I am working to have all the equipment that I need to grow my business, such as machinery, transport and a big working space and I’m hoping to create job opportunities by employing two or three people by this time next year. I would also like to launch my business online so that it can be accessible to everyone,” she says. “My work feels like a hobby – I feel complete.”
Gilmore says, “We are very proud of Neliswa who keeps working hard and dreaming big. She is a good example of the success of our holistic approach to helping people overcome depression and become confident, independent business owners.”
