Common Good
Founded in 2005, Common Good creates opportunities for those marginalized by poverty in South Africa by providing support for child development, education and employment.
Common Good operates in the townships and informal settlements of urban Cape Town where government services are limited, schools and healthcare are underfunded, insecurity is rife, and jobs are almost non-existent. It focuses on three key stages of human development, when the opportunity to nurture intrinsic potential is most significant:
Early Life – there is overwhelming evidence that the first thousand days of life determine the long-term prospects of the most vulnerable children in society.
Education – through a growing network of schools that impacts more than 2,500 learners and teachers daily, Common Good works from within the system to provide good governance and management in at-risk schools.
Employment – the Zanokhanyo Network (TZN) is a proven work readiness program that prepares the most marginalized South Africans with the skills they need to find and retain work.
Klaas van Mill
P&G Alumni Grant Champion
21-years in Advertising and Executive Management in P&G and Gillette, Europe.
Klaas joined Common Good as a volunteer in 2017. He has led its work readiness and employment initiative, served as CEO in 2018-19, and is now Chair.
“My involvement in Common Good is driven by the huge inequality that exists around the world and particularly in South Africa where it’s so visible in daily life and highest in the world. To address this issue, people need the right skills — the kind provided by Common Good. The program has been running successfully for 11 years. And with unemployment at 42.6%, it’s never been more relevant.” Klaas van Mill
Many of the unemployed in South Africa are also unemployable, lacking the basic hard and soft skills required to seek and secure meaningful employment. Common Good makes meaningful work possible. Common Good’s employment initiative, The Zanokhanyo Network (TZN), offers a transformational 16-day work readiness journey that serves as a bridge to opportunity by restoring dignity and hope, equipping people to realize their potential and preparing them for the world of work. Graduates are also connected to the TZN Alumni network to ensure continued peer support and to enable participation in numerous graduate support upskilling events.
The $20,000 P&G Alumni Foundation grant will be used to host 39 classes in Cape Town, South Africa, resulting in nearly 400 individuals trained for employment, 10 new business ventures, and 150 jobs as well as 450 family and community members positively impacted.
Funding received will go towards the cost of participant recruitment, trainer and graduate-support staff salaries, psycho-social support / trauma counselling for participants, PPE, catering, data and travelling expenses of the participants, stationery costs and WhatsApp subscription fees for the online class prompts.
“Back to Work”
David has over 10 years of experience in Customer Service but at the end of December 2020, was released from his job. He spent the next few months trying to get back on his feet but was struggling with issues of low self-confidence and anxiety. He learned about The Zanokhanyo Network’s Work Readiness offering and, during the course, secured a job in one of the application practice rounds!
