Expand Black South African Leadership & Enterprise

Dear Friends and Supporters,

We hope all is well with you. It has been a difficult start to 2021 for our team, as we have faced deaths in our family, illness, and other life challenges exacerbated by a prolonged pandemic. Still, thankfully, we are all here, relatively healthy, and committed to our work with The Emerge Project.

As the pandemic continues to disrupt life, we are collaborating with partners in South Africa and the US to create alternative approaches to our work. We are looking at the question of how to continue to uplift and share the stories of Black changemakers at the community level, with the current resources we have. We had our first meeting via Zoom in April, and will continue to meet regularly to generate and implement ideas. We are excited to see what creative and innovative ideas emerge from putting our heads together!

Our TEP leaders (those who have been featured in our videos) are also finding ways to rise above COVID-19 challenges. The tourism industry in South Africa has been severely impacted by the pandemic, and Paul Maluleke, one of our leaders, and his partners have felt it keenly. But as the country begins to take steps to repair this lucrative industry, Paul and his partners have been working hard to ensure that their programs, which center and benefit communities in townships and underserved areas, are not forgotten. You can check out Paul’s video here to get a glimpse into the work he does in Alexandra Township in Johannesburg.

We thank you for your continued support of The Emerge Project. While it has been a challenging period, we are buoyed by the knowledge that you are rooting for us.

Until next time, with gratitude,

The Emerge Project team

Links:

• Paul Maluleke in Alexandra Township

Dear TEP Friends,

What a year it’s been! We hope you have managed to get through it whole and intact. While many of our goals and plans for this year had to be shelved, we are grateful that our team remains healthy and sound of mind.

With travel bans easing and borders reopening in South Africa, we will soon be able to get back to the business of lifting up the work of Black changemakers. We are aiming to get back on track by the middle of next year, allowing us time to set our vision and goals for the year, and to assess the resources we have and those we will need. In addition, we will be working on building up and strengthening our board in 2021. We invite any of you who might be interested to reach out!

While we have not been able to produce new video content this year, we lifted up the work of Semadi, of The Hub Presents Alex. Semadi and his colleagues have a strong and powerful vision to build up Alexandra Township in Johannesburg—one of the oldest and most notorious of South Africa’s townships. Through tourism initiatives, nonprofit development, and arts and culture, Semadi is shedding a different light on an area from which people are generally warned to stay away. The Hub Presents hosts events that showcase the township’s many talents in music, food, art and other forms of creativity. It serves as an incubator for nonprofit and other community development initiatives in the making. And it is the platform from which many of the tourism offerings emerge. If you are ever in Johannesburg and want a rich and nuanced experience of the city, you should include Semadi and The Hub Presents Alex in your itinerary.

In August we also participated in South Africa’s Women’s Month celebrations by highlighting and sharing images of the women with whom we have worked over the past few years. These were beautiful photo collages of women with purpose, vision, and tenacity. We are proud to count them as partners in this work.

Thank you for your continued support. As always, if you have any questions, suggestions or comments, please feel free to reach out!

With appreciation,

The TEP Team

Links:

• Semadi and The Hub Presents Alex