Emerging Economic Development Pillar;

CareSA Designs had a lovely experience showing off all its crochet craft at the five day Kwa Zulu Natal Christmas Craft Market this December.

In the spirit of entrepreneurship more than 150 traders gathered at the City Hill Church auditorium in Hillcrest to show off their creations and hard work done during the course of 2016. Certainly a work ethic is being developed to combat poverty.

As I quietly observed the people and their displays for progress I could not help ‘seeing’ an informal economic pillar being built for a better future. Yes, not all will make the businessman or woman of the year, but there is resilience and resolve, and if perseverance is thrown in with good measure, it could make a small dent in poverty, and lay a foundation for a better future.

Entrepreneuring runs on Hope, develops imagination – where anything is possible – builds a necessary work ethic, releases expression and God given creative potential.

The other side of the coin however is getting to know the nuts and bolts of running a successful business. This is another story altogether, yet has to be embraced by the budding entrepreneur, if good lasting results are to be obtained. So the next phase would be to get business savvy, and look for mentors willing to take a walk with ‘the future economic builders’. It may be a long walk, but a start has been made, and as they say … Rome was not built in a day.

Have a look at some of the 2016 CareSA Designs crochet craft range that was on sale at the Christmas Market this year, and feel free to leave a comment or two on new additions, improvements, or add some new ideas for developing a small enterprise.

The Brand

Part of the table display

Everlasting flower hair clip

Butterfly head bands

Kids sling bags

Kids sling bag

Sling bag

Tourist shoulder bags

Tourist sling bag

Shoulder wrap

Mohair shaw

All it takes is some pretty yarns, hooks, needles maybe a button or two and a little imagination to make a happy hobby – that one day will grow into a budding enterprise.

Here’s to diligence and to hope, and may the work of our hands prosper.

A Focus on Entrepreneurial Development
Common sense begs us to have a road map when we embark on a journey. The future is a path we all must tread. To read some insights and signposts along the way may be helpful for the journey. With our world, under a financial cloud, which can reveal our insecurities and traditions of old, we need to realize that the world is in a state of flux. Change is inevitable and is happening! Steve Rose on his blog has written an excellent article called The Transition to Entrepreneurial Life , from a philosophical and new millennium point of view. He highlights, what he calls, Modern Liberalism in which moral and traditional boundaries have been moved. This poses serious new challenges both on our moral and financial frontiers. Change is happening! What would he say, I wonder, about South Africa, if he understood its extreme complexities. His blog deserves a read for it is food for thought, as we focus on Entrepreneurship, and the future. steverroseblog[dot]com

I have written a simple article on Entrepreneurship, which introduces CareSA Designs, my entrepreneur enterprise to this subject. See some of the CareSA Designs below.

Click on https://caresafoundation.wordpress.com/caresa-designs/ to view more of my designs. I would appreciate your comments on these.

At a meeting, called for by Soul Action and Crossroads in Durban, we focused on Entrepreneurial Development. Some of the complexities that arose, as experienced by some of the Project Leaders who work deep in the Kwa Zulu Natal rural community are : Cultural traditions. Communities shackled by a poverty mindset. Hindering jealousies at signs of progress. No self-contribution required resulting in lack of ownership of projects. The different tiers of economic development, and world views. For there are many “worlds” in this world we call South Africa. These were only some of the topics.

As South Africans we have a tendency to focus on our overwhelming problems. “Take the problems and find the solutions” – were words spoken by a global entrepreneur. We may need new approaches, innovations and community creativity to solve our problems. In a world of change there is one constant, the Word of God, the Bible. We will leave an indefinable injustice behind if we do not take the Word of God with us into Social Development. For within its pages lie the sustainability of faith hope love and everything else in between, for the renewing of the mind and for a good future. The Bible is the road map for all ages … no matter how much change happens!

It may take courage to move into the trend of entrepreneurship and the fickle waters of finance. But if wholeness, social and human development remain the focus, the tug and pull of wealth-creation may just drag poverty into progress. When we leave our “Egypt” to possess our “promised land” the journey will be hard and long. Above it all we must remember to give God the glory for His goodness, for it is He who gives power to get wealth.

Remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth… Deuteronomy 8:18