On March 1st, 2025, the Rural Youth Leaders (RYL) of Suurbraak hosted their very first Entrepreneurial Market Day—an inspiring milestone in their journey toward financial independence and leadership.
The RYL programme is coordinated by Megan Goliath, who leads our Youth Leadership Project and serves as a mentor to project facilitator Elwina Conradie. Under their guidance, the youth leaders spent weeks preparing for the market day, selecting products, developing business plans, and budgeting expenses. They embraced the challenges of running a small enterprise, gaining hands-on experience in entrepreneurship, financial literacy, and problem-solving. Despite unpredictable weather, their determination never wavered, and their adaptability was truly commendable.
“The girls showed incredible resilience,” said Elwina. “They had every reason to give up when the weather turned against them, but instead, they pushed through with enthusiasm and a strong sense of purpose.”
The market day was a feast of flavours, with the young entrepreneurs selling delicious treats such as yogurt tarts, peppermint tarts, brownies, slushies, boerewors rolls, burgers, and more. The Suurbraak community showed up in full support, creating a vibrant and successful event.
Most impressively, the youth leaders not only managed to repay the seed capital they received but also made a small profit—a true testament to their hard work and growing business acumen.
“This was more than just a market day,” Elwina added. “It was the culmination of weeks of learning, planning, and developing an entrepreneurial mindset. Seeing their confidence grow has been truly inspiring.”
This initiative is more than just a market day; it is a stepping stone for these young women to develop confidence, resilience, and leadership skills that will serve them for life. We are incredibly proud of their achievements and look forward to seeing how they continue to grow as entrepreneurs and changemakers in their communities.
