Siyaya is a social entrepreneurship project run in Khayelitsha, South Africa by students from the University of Cape Town. The project trains unemployed people in business and management skills, starts businesses with these trainees by sourcing start-up capital and creating links to suppliers and subsequently consults such businesses in order to make them as sustainable and profitable as possible.  Khayelitsha a township riddled with poverty, inhumane living conditions and negligible medical care. 

All of the entrepreneurs we train have between one and five each, are unemployed and struggle to meet every day necessities. Our goal is to equip these people with business skills to improve their lives, send their children to school and give their families a brighter future where food, clothing and education will no longer be a seemingly unattainable luxury.

Volunteers are all simply passionate about helping people in South Africa who are suffering immensely from malnutrition, lack of medical care, unacceptable literacy rates and crime that often leads to rape and murder. 

 We have our sights set on expanding beyond the boundaries of Khayelitsha, to other parts of South Africa in partnership with other universities. In order for this to be possible, we need support in human capital, as well as financially. In an arena where there is human suffering and children are found begging on the sides of roads, one cannot turn a blind eye. This is why everyone at Siyaya is committed to making that change and will do whatever it takes to not only relieve the suffering of as many people as we can, but to give each and every one a brighter future.

Siyaya Kids is a subsidiary of Siyaya that provides the children in the entrepreneurs’ care with a safe and fun learning environment. Our goal is to prepare children between the ages of 2-6 years with the fundamental skills in language, mathematics, arts, social skills, critical thinking, and school readiness which will enable them to integrate smoothly into a school environment.

 The focus of Siyaya Kids is on developing language, mathematics, critical thinking, arts and social skills in order to facilitate the school readiness of the children. In these communities, children rarely are exposed to any education before they enter primary school.