World Entrepreneur Awards Programme
Social Winner Ernst & Young and the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship are pleased to recognise the achievements of this year’s winner, Andrew Muir, for the fifth annual South African Social Entrepreneur awards.
The Wilderness Foundation - founded in 1972 by conservation leader Dr Ian Player and is now run by Andrew MuirThe Wilderness Foundation is a South African non-profit organisation headquartered in Port Elizabeth and is one of few South African Conservation NGOs currently involved with active, sustainable social intervention programmes, through Umzi Wethu Programme.
The Umzi Wethu programme transforms vulnerable youth, affected by poverty and HIV/Aids with a skills development and job placement into highly employable young adults with sustainable futures.
Since 2006 a total of 107 students have graduated- 64 being Hospitality students and 43 Game Ranging students. The job retention rate of Umzi graduates is about 85% and placement rate is 94%, with 85% currently employed despite the challenge of an ecotourism industry set back by the recent global financial crisis. This is particularly significant as 50% of all our students are HIV/AIDS orphans who are especially affected by the effects of HIV/AIDS and violence that accompanies the deep poverty of communities from which they come. In addition 10% of graduates have advanced to junior and middle management positions in eco-tourism industries and five have been enabled to pursue tertiary education.
