South African social entrepreneur Dintle Nkosi: Promoting equal opportunities by striving for information access
Dintle Nkosi first considered pursuing social entrepreneurship during a session with her mentor, where she expressed that she would like to join Africa's population of innovative problem solvers. Spending time raising her children outside South Africa brought her to appreciating different education systems. She was motivated by education systems that provide a good standard of education to citizens, regardless of their household income.
“First, never forget to be strategic and focus on the big picture, and the entrepreneurial passion for perfect details may hold you back more than enabling your business. Secondly, learn to prioritize and be proactive about managing your time. Thirdly, fall forward!”
Nkosi is driven to better information access for young people in South Africa as this ensures that they proceed to tertiary education. Statistics suggest that youth are then exposed to better opportunities for themselves and their families. The stark realities paint a gloomy outlook for the youth of South Africa. Given that the country has one of the highest Gini coefficients (a metric used to measure income disparity in a country) worldwide, the initiative is much required. Nkosi’s passion for seeing young people in Africa educated despite their economic standing led her to establish Thuto Thusa. She transforms young people's lives by providing relevant information and guidance to plan and prepare for their future using various platforms.
She earnestly describes that in South Africa, only 6% of adults between the ages of 23 and 34 have a tertiary qualification. In fact, close to 47% of youth aged 20-24 years have bachelor's degrees or equivalent qualifications from the highest household income quintile. In comparison, only 7,4% of youth who held equivalent qualifications came from the lowest household income quintile. The statistics suggest a clear relationship between education and household income. This is an injustice that is fought constantly by activists of financial and systemic inclusion.
The status quo drove Nkosi to innovate to tackle the problem whilst addressing youth unemployment and education's social imperatives based on South Africa's economy's skill deficits.
The Butterfly Project is among the initiatives she started. It helps young people plan for their future and equips them with knowledge of making their dreams come true. This extraordinary feat is achieved using tech-savvy online tools to provide career guidance tools at the appropriate and remote level. Students are introduced to the engagement method they can expect in university, despite their secondary education level.
Nkosi has also been intentional about instilling a sense of identity and self-esteem in young children. The Early Learning Series aims to address representation issues through the eyes of young children. As a parent raising her children in a global community, she advocates teaching African children their languages will affirm them from a young age. She has observed how it establishes their self-esteem and identity, which in turn improves their learning ability. She has watched how children can better develop their critical and literacy skills, and it gives them a sense of pride to communicate in their mother tongue.
Her entrepreneurial journey has been demanding yet rewarding. She is driven by her ambition to create products that she can be proud of and make a difference in fellow Africans' lives. Dintle Nkosi has learned many lessons along the way, which she shares with every entrepreneur owning a start-up in Africa: “First, never forget to be strategic and focus on the big picture, and the entrepreneurial passion for perfect details may hold you back more than enabling your business. Secondly, learn to prioritize and be proactive about managing your time. Thirdly, fall forward!” She encourages entrepreneurs to stay focused and not get easily discouraged.
By: Okhela Ntsamai