Sasopsbiz Foundation was established in 2017 as a social responsibility arm of the South African School of Practical Skills trading as Sasopsbiz. Ms Pumla Vilakazi the founder of Sasopsbiz is a social entrepreneur who is very passionate about women and youth empowerment. She left a very high ranking position in government to pursue her passion for entrepreneurship.
When we started our company Sasopsbiz which is a business incubator, we were inundated with calls for help from youth who wanted to start businesses and did not know where to go. NPOs, cooperatives and other people viewed us as a resource for help, but could not afford our services. We receive a number of requests for donations and we were able to contribute a little that we had. We then realised that there was a need to establish this arm of the company. We were also able to work with the Office of the Premier to implement a programme for girls called Phakamisa Girls Economic Empowerment under this foundation.
The aim of the WVLSA project is to develop a cadre of economically active, independent and self-sufficient girls and young women who will contribute to the economic development of the country and the world. We will implement a multi-sectoral, integrated and holistic life cycle approach to the socio-economic development of girls and young women in KZN; reduce vulnerability of girls and young women to HIV/AIDS, violence and abuse, gender bias, poverty and other gender issues; implement a value-based approach to economic empowerment of young girls and women; enhance employability and increase levels of employment of girls and young women; and promote entrepreneurship and market access.