The recent three-day Economic Activation workshop of the Student Women Economic Empowerment Programme (SWEEP) climaxed when EDHE leaders introduced SWEEP University Chapters intended for all the 26 public universities in South Africa, starting with the pilot chapter to be located at Nelson Mandela University.
SWEEP, a brainchild of the Entrepreneurship Development in Higher Education (EDHE) Programme, hosted the first in a series of planned workshops from 25 to 27 January 2022, aimed at empowering student women and offering them a safety net of transferrable and practical skills that will inspire them to start their own enterprises while studying. Participants were drawn from the signed-up SWEEP members and more, from South Africa’s public universities.
At the workshop, Ms Karen Snyman (left), Student Entrepreneurship Specialist at Nelson Mandela University and Deputy Chairperson of the national EDHE Community of Practice for Student Entrepreneurship, gave an overview of what the university chapters will look like. Alongside her was Ms Mashoto Mphahlele (right), CEO and founder of Mash Organics and Amani Accessories. Ms Mphahlele is a Bachelor of Arts in Media Studies graduate from the University of Limpopo, who won the EDHE Entrepreneurship Intervarsity 2021 award in Category 4, representing Existing Business – General. Mash Organics makes 100% organic skin and hair care products.