Oom-soh-bohm-voo and its yacs

Despite our jetlag, we’ve been pushing through days full-throttle. Yesterday, we met with the leaders of the Umsobomvu Youth Fund. Yes, we had major difficulties pronouncing Umsobomvu. In fact, before meeting them, we practiced our butchered pronunciation and ended up asking them about it anyways. After our stumbling awkwardness, we were told it means “rising sun”.

The Umsobomvu Youth Fund is a program funded by the South African government that gives training, opportunities, loans, and business vouchers to youth (18-35 year olds) in South Africa. This is to combat the high unemployment rate, which is currently about 25% of the population, 70% of which is youth. We spent a few hours meeting with the Umsobomvu leaders, and we were immersed in information about microfinance, South Africa, and Umsobomvu itself.

When the meeting was finished, they swept us off to one of their YACs (Youth Advisory Centers) in Pretoria. They had a very nice office (yes, even by U.S. standards) and a training center there, and we were introduced to each person who worked there individually. After, we traveled to another part of the city where we actually saw the fruit of microfinance. We visited a mother/daughter owned spa that had taken out a loan and vouchers. They had opened their enterprise the previous Monday, using the loan for rent and equipment. By Wednesday, they had gotten over a hundred customers. The two seemed extremely excited and happy about their new business and our interest in it. It was a tiring day, though. We returned around 5 o’clock, and I completely crashed in my room, and Nick couldn’t wake me up. (I missed bowling, PS3, and food in the process.)

Everybody I’ve met so far in South Africa has been unfailingly polite and kind. Whether that has been a product of circumstance or a national trend, I have yet to see. It goes back to how I described my purpose for this trip during the Umsobomvu meeting. I’m here to expand my view of the world. But, as the lady remarked, (I’m even more terrible with names here than in the U.S.) it’s too early to characterize the whole. But, without a doubt, I am learning an incredible amount in such a small amount of time.

One opportunity and possibility this has opened up is a full-time job in a non-profit. It’s one of many options, but I have been introduced to many people who work with one full-time and enjoy it immensely. Whether or not I choose to follow their path, it is definitely a fulfilling and good job.