Empowering South African Youth for Entrepreneurship and Digital Inclusion
The U-Belong program is aimed at South African youth and equips them with the essential skills needed to become successful entrepreneurs while promoting digital inclusion by connecting South African subscribers. The project has received an investment of over R5 million to date.
Before joining the field teams, each U-Belong member undergoes 2-3 weeks of classroom-style training in selling skills and product knowledge. After qualification, they receive weekly digital training modules and materials via their smart devices to ensure continuous upskilling. Skilled trainers are available in each region or province to provide physical training to the teams and supervisors when necessary.
During the program, each individual is provided with a smart device and 10GB of data every month. Upon completion of the program, participants can keep their devices and have the opportunity to start their own distribution business with the assistance of the program. The progress report contains details on the identified models and individuals for this next step.
Community Empowerment and Soccer Initiative
The U-Belong program aims to provide employment opportunities to individuals in their respective communities, allowing them to provide products and services directly to households. This approach eliminates the need for community members to spend on transportation fees to travel to the nearest shopping center, resulting in more disposable income for them. To further promote the U-Belong brand and educate community members about its benefits, the program plans to launch community-driven soccer tournaments in select provinces.
These events will not only feature sponsored prizes but also provide an opportunity for unemployed youth to become part of the program. Winners from each region will have a chance to compete in a knockout tournament, with the ultimate prize being sponsorship for a season, complete with the necessary uniform.
Since the launch of the U-Belong program by T3 Telecoms SA in August 2021:
over 3,500 unemployed individuals have been onboarded and provided with job opportunities across the provinces in South Africa.
The program has gained momentum since March 2022, with an average of 200-250 individuals being employed each month.
There are 1,772 fully active U-Belong members across the country,
2,071 learners have been onboarded between June 2022 to January 2023.
54 individuals promoted from sales agents to team leaders and supervisors, with access to program-sponsored vehicles.
Our impact by numbers
UNEMPLOYED PROVIDED WITH JOB OPPORTUNITIES
0
ACTIVE U-BELONG MEMBERS ACROSS THE COUNTRY
0
LEARNERS ONBOARDED BETWEEN JUNE 2022 TO JANUARY 2023