Since 2022, Awarenet has lead a consortium of 20 non profit organisations in Makhanda, Port Alfred, Peddie and Bathurst to implement the Social Employment Fund. This fund - run by the government agency of the Industrial Development Corporation - combats the high unemployment figures in South Africa by giving previously unemployed meaningful job opportunities for the social good.

Under the auspices of our long-time partner the The Learning Trust, Awarenet administers the recruitment of around 200 participants in this employment creation program which brings together a variety of organisations working in variety of fields which empower local communities.

At Awarenet itself the participants take part in all our main projects such as tutoring in the Olico maths program, training robotics and coding, supervising the Open Lab and curating and distributing SD cards.

Awarenet also place participants in 19 other organisations where they perform a variety of work which benefits local communities. Among other things this work entails maintaining food gardens and feeding programs, supporting learners with homework and school projects, offering recreational activities such as music, chess and sports to youth and assisting in early childhood development centres.

In the Eastern Cape, the province in which we operate, the unemployment rate stood at 47.6% in the second quarter of 2026 - much higher than the also alarming national unemployment rate in South Africa of 33.6%. The opportunity to take part in the Social Employment Fund program is therefore for many people in our local community not only a welcome way to receive an income, but also a way to get a foot in the formal labour market, increasing their skills and enhancing their chances for further employment opportunities.