ONLY a person living under a rock would not know that the jobs available to young people are becoming fewer and fewer every day.
This is why Curro, an independent school operator, started its annual national interschool entrepreneurship competition to encourage pupils to start their own businesses and stand a chance to win prizes.
Alta Greeff, head of research, development and innovation at Curro, said: “In a country where youth unemployment is rife, competitions such as these enable pupils to understand the principles behind business.”
One of the 38 teams, all Curro School pupils, is Melanin Sun Care. It is made up of Virna Makhudu, Zifiso Khumalo and Andile Kunene.
They got together to produce an organic sunscreen that not only shields your skin from damage caused by the sun, but also maintains your original skin tone.
Their handmade sunscreen comes in recycled 250ml plastic bottles and is more affordable than other off-the-shelf brands. They added that it is also vegan friendly.
But it was the crew from Wax House who were crowned the champions. Hailing from St Dominics in Newcastle, KZN, the three grade 9 pupils, Minette Janse van Vuuren, Omera Ramdharee and Natasha Friend, wowed the judges with their clever candle-recycling kit. The kit allows people to re-use the wax from burnt candles – a product that is useful in rural and low-income households.
The Wax House team each won R1 000 and a power bank, but the lab will also help to perfect their corporate identity, marketing material and social media presence.
