The idea for AFRICEND began decades ago with a desire to contribute to the business landscape of South Africa and the world. Growing up in 1990’s South Africa, we witnessed the effects of bloodshed and a brutal fight for freedom which engulfed the country in darkness. That decade brought with it a shining light with the emergence of victorious struggle heroes who began their fight 400 years prior. As children, there was a sense of hope for our future and as a country, we desperately needed to solve issues that the Apartheid regime created. With inequality came mass unemployment, hunger, lack of education and health and sanitation challenges. However, there was a plan to address these and the nation grew in confidence.
A lot has happened since then and although there was some progress such as hosting a FIFA World Cup and new opportunities in the global arena, we have since literally seen those lights go out. As the founders of Africend, we have made tremendous sacrifices trying to improve the water challenges facing the East Coast of SA and trying to improve the health and education of youth in isolated areas. We wanted to focus on people who didn’t have the power to enable transformation for a better life as well as those who felt that their voice would fall on indifferent ears. Our mediocre impact was not due to a lack of passion, determination or energy but rather the absence of fair governance and required processes. We have tried and met insurmountable challenges and road blocks which should rightfully never exist in a free country.
From these ashes, AFRICEND was created. Not governed by any entity besides a mission to inflict positive change, assist businesses to achieve sustainable growth and in so doing, create a cooperative and sustainable economy. AFRICEND’s headline mission is to use technology, business science and a comprehensive road map to directly and indirectly tackle the issues of unemployment, hunger and what we understand to be an incomplete education system.
AFRICEND’s 7 guiding principles are:
- Build stronger, inclusive and capable businesses
- Embrace the message of Ubuntu
- Our actions must contribute to a strong and sustainable economy
- Teach and mentor authentic, diligent and dedicated young business minds
- Never promote destructive services or products. Destructive to us means to negatively impact the health or lives of humans, other sentient beings and the environment
- To seek and promote global business partnerships wherever possible
- The ability to help other businesses to grow means we must first ensure the health and viability of AFRICEND as a consulting business. “Put on your own oxygen mask first. You can’t help the next person if you yourself cannot breathe”.
It is our belief that when more businesses and individuals adopt these principles, a new and prosperous dawn for the planet will not be far off. In this crisis that South Africa faces, let us work together to empower the youth, support local and help other businesses so that one day they will be a strong partner which will help us to grow our message and ethos. We want our children and future generations to inherit a country that is bound by friendliness and a culture of mutual assistance. We will prove to the world that our nation is capable and up to the task of being valuable partners in business growth.
Being a start-up, our future plans incorporate education and transformation from internally going outward by firstly up skilling our future expanding team to live lives of mutual assistance wherever possible. Our blogs which all incorporate our core passions includes the AFRICEND Earth Blog which has the objective of spreading researched and validated information on the plight of our planet and how we can use communication to make a positive impact. If you are reading this, we hope that you take this journey with us and support AFRICEND by following our socials and sharing our content with everyone who may find it interesting.
Until we meet
The Founding members of AFRICEND
