SANZAF Careers Day 2026: Opening Doors to Skills, Trades and Opportunity

A successful future does not follow only one path.

For some young people, that journey may lead to university. For others, it may begin in a workshop, kitchen, construction site, technology environment or small business. What matters is that young people are given the opportunity to understand the choices available to them and develop the skills needed to build sustainable futures.

On 5 September 2026, our Durban team hosted its Careers Day at the NMJ Islamic Centre in Morningside, Berea, creating a space where young people could explore practical career pathways, meet training providers and employers, and discover opportunities within South Africa’s vocational and artisan sectors.

From 8:00am to 1:00pm, the Careers Day connected students directly with the people and institutions that could help turn their interests into qualifications, skills and ultimately employment or entrepreneurship.

Exploring Careers Beyond the Classroom

A central objective of the SANZAF Durban Careers Day was to expose young people to skills development, vocational training and artisan careers.

With youth unemployment remaining one of the challenges facing young South Africans, it is increasingly important that learners understand that there are multiple pathways into the world of work.

Students had the opportunity to explore career and training opportunities across a diverse range of fields, including:

• Agriculture
• Air conditioning
• Auto electrical
• Barista training
• Carpentry
• Chef training
• Electrical
• Information Technology (IT)
• Mechanics
• Panel beating
• Plumbing
• Sewing
• Spray painting
• Welding

The variety of careers represented allowed young people to consider their individual talents, interests and ambitions while learning more about industries they may not previously have considered.

Learning What It Takes to Build a Career

The programme began with a welcome from Shabeer Nhleko, followed by a Quran recitation by Hafez Junaid Akoojee, setting the tone for a day centred on knowledge, purpose and personal development.

Throughout the morning, students heard from speakers who approached career development from different perspectives.

Moulana Junaid Kharsany explored The Muslim Tradesperson, highlighting the importance of character, responsibility, integrity and excellence within one’s profession.

The Re-focus and Upliftment Foundation (R.A.U.F) addressed substance abuse and the consequences it can have on young people’s lives, choices and future opportunities.

Ms Karodia discussed the qualities of a successful tradesperson, while Sajedah Ebrahim explored an important question for learners considering their futures: Why choose a vocational or occupational career?

Students also heard from Chris Milton about career opportunities within technical and vocational trades, providing insight into the possibilities available through skills-based industries.

What Do Employers Look For?

Having a qualification or technical skill is only one part of becoming workplace-ready.

Aziz Choonara helped students understand what employers look for when recruiting young people, highlighting the importance of professionalism, workplace readiness, technical ability and personal qualities.

The programme also introduced participants to entrepreneurship within agriculture. Ms Snothando’s presentation, Farming to Enterprise, demonstrated how agricultural skills can potentially develop beyond employment into viable entrepreneurial opportunities.

The programme concluded with a representative from Hypercheck, who explored pathways to employment, apprenticeships and further training.

Together, these conversations helped young people see the connection between training, employability, entrepreneurship and long-term career development.

From Career Advice to Real-World Exposure

One of the most valuable aspects of Careers Day happened beyond the formal presentations.

Students had the opportunity to network directly with training providers, employers and industry professionals.

Instead of simply hearing about a career, they could speak to people working within the sector, ask questions about training requirements and better understand what different occupations involve.

Live demonstrations brought some of these careers to life.

For a young person still deciding what comes after school, seeing a practical skill demonstrated and speaking directly to someone within that profession can make an unfamiliar career feel achievable.

The Careers Day therefore became more than an information session. It created a bridge between young people, skills training providers and industry.

Skills Development as a Pathway to Opportunity

SANZAF believes education and skills development are important tools for sustainable empowerment.

Vocational and occupational training can provide young people with pathways into employment while also creating opportunities for entrepreneurship and self-reliance.

A qualified plumber, electrician, welder, mechanic, chef or artisan does not simply possess a technical skill. That skill can become the foundation for employment, a small business and eventually the ability to create opportunities for others.

The Careers Day reflected this broader vision by bringing education, vocational training, employers and community organisations together in one space.

Most importantly, the event opened the door for continued mentorship, skills development and training opportunities through SANZAF.

Thank You for Investing in Young Futures

A sincere thank you goes to every student, speaker, exhibitor, training provider, employer and partner who contributed towards making the SANZAF Careers Day possible.

Your participation created an environment where young people could ask questions, challenge assumptions about careers and begin thinking differently about what their futures could hold.

Every conversation mattered.

Every demonstration created exposure.

And every new career possibility discovered could represent the beginning of a young person’s journey towards greater independence.

The journey towards a career begins with discovering what is possible.

Missed SANZAF Careers Day?

The opportunity to explore your future does not end with the Careers Day.

If you were unable to attend, you can still contact participating training providers and organisations directly to learn more about artisan training, vocational courses, apprenticeships, chef and barista training, welding, skills development and support services.

Artisan Development Academy
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Tel: (+27) 31 468 1510

Samson Welding School
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Tel: 073 694 6643 / 031 563 1906

GMK EDU Skills Training
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Tel: 060 811 4809

SANZAF Chef School & Barista Training
Contact: Sajedah Ebrahim
Tel: 031 309 6786

Umbilo Training Specialist
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. / This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Tel: 085 408 437

Abethu Training Centre
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Tel: 031 309 4309 / 074 459 5134

R.A.U.F – Substance Abuse Support
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Tel: 031 269 3662

Sponsor a Skill. Feed a Future.

SANZAF remains committed to helping young people access skills development, vocational training, mentorship and pathways to employment.

But creating these opportunities requires collective support.

Your contribution can help a young person gain a practical skill, access training and take another step towards employment, entrepreneurship and greater self-reliance.

Sponsor a Skill. Feed a Future.

Support SANZAF’s education and skills development initiatives and help us turn potential into skills, skills into opportunity and opportunity into sustainable futures.

For more information about Durban’s skills development and youth empowerment programmes, contact our Durban office on 031 309 6786.

Empowering Women, Strengthening Communities: SANZAF Women’s Upliftment Workshop in Durban

Empowerment begins when knowledge becomes confidence, skills become opportunity and women are given the space to recognise their own potential.

From 17 to 19 August 2026, SANZAF welcomed women to its Durban office for a three-day Women’s Upliftment Workshop, bringing together financial literacy, practical skills development, Islamic guidance and conversations around women’s rights and dignity.

The programme formed part of SANZAF’s broader commitment to women empowerment and sustainable community development in South Africa. Over three days, participants moved from learning how to strengthen their financial futures, to developing practical food skills and finally to reflecting on their rights, self-worth and ability to make choices for themselves and their families.

It was women’s empowerment in action: learning together, growing together and turning practical skills into possibilities.

Day 1: Financial Literacy, Personal Growth and Women in Islam

The programme began with 26 women gathering for a day centred on personal development and financial empowerment for women.

Through motivational and educational sessions facilitated by Shabnam Bux and Apa Sumayya Kharsany, participants explored practical financial skills that can contribute to greater independence and more informed decision-making.

The sessions addressed important areas including budgeting and managing household expenses, retirement planning, business finances and financial independence.

For women managing households, considering entrepreneurship or planning for their long-term futures, financial literacy can be a powerful tool. Understanding how money is earned, managed, saved and planned allows women to make more informed choices for themselves and their families.

The day also explored the rights and responsibilities of women in Islam.

Participants reflected on the opportunities Islam affords women to pursue knowledge, build careers and manage their own wealth, while also recognising the invaluable contribution women make in nurturing families and shaping future generations.

Bringing financial education and Islamic guidance into the same conversation reinforced an important message: empowerment can be both practical and values-driven.

Day 2: Practical Skills That Can Become Opportunities

On Day 2, learning moved from financial planning to the SANZAF Chef School kitchen as participants rolled up their sleeves for a practical skills development session.

The aroma of freshly baked artisan bread soon filled the room as the women learnt to bake artisan bread and prepare homemade orange jam from scratch.

Alongside these skills, participants explored food preservation techniques that can help households reduce food waste, extend the shelf life of produce and make better use of everyday ingredients.

But the real value of the day extended beyond the kitchen.

Between batches of bread and jars of jam came conversations, laughter, shared knowledge and the confidence that grows from learning something new alongside others.

Importantly, these are skills with possibilities beyond the workshop. Participants can use them at home, share them with family members or potentially develop them into small income-generating opportunities or home-based businesses.

For SANZAF, skills development is an important part of sustainable empowerment. A practical skill can become a way to save money, supplement household income or even take the first step towards entrepreneurship and greater self-reliance.

Day 3: Women’s Rights, Dignity and the Freedom to Choose

The final day brought the Women’s Upliftment Workshop to a meaningful close, with 21 women gathering at Westwood Mall for a programme centred on dignity, rights, choice and sisterhood.

In a beautiful expression of unity and solidarity for Women’s Month, each participant brought a pink scarf, creating a shared symbol of togetherness, strength and women supporting women.

The programme began with an important conversation about women’s rights from Johanna Herbst, encouraging participants to understand their rights, recognise their self-worth and feel empowered to advocate for themselves.

After three days of learning, the women also had an opportunity to connect and enjoy time together over a shared meal.

This was followed by a shopping experience where each woman was given the freedom to select essential items for herself and her household.

The significance went beyond the items purchased. Having the ability to choose for oneself is closely connected to dignity. The experience created an opportunity for each participant to make decisions according to her own needs and leave feeling seen, valued and supported.

From Knowledge to Confidence and Skills to Possibility

Across three days, the programme demonstrated the value of taking a holistic approach to women’s empowerment and skills development.

Day 1 provided knowledge for stronger financial decision-making. Day 2 transformed practical learning into skills that could support households or potentially generate income. Day 3 created space for conversations about rights, dignity, self-worth and personal choice.

Together, these experiences reflected SANZAF’s belief that empowering a woman can create an impact far beyond one individual.

When a woman develops financial literacy, her household can benefit from stronger financial planning. When she learns a practical skill, that knowledge can be shared with her family or transformed into an income opportunity. When she understands her rights and recognises her worth, she is better equipped to advocate for herself and contribute confidently within her community.

This is how empowerment creates a ripple effect—strengthening women, families and ultimately entire communities.

A heartfelt Jazakallah Khair to Shubum Buxs, Apa Sumya Kharsany, our donors, staff and every participant who contributed to three memorable days of learning, connection and upliftment.

Help Us Create More Opportunities for Women

SANZAF’s Women Empowerment and Skills Development initiatives aim to equip women with knowledge, practical skills and opportunities that encourage confidence, resilience and greater self-reliance.

Your support can help us continue creating spaces where women can learn, develop practical skills, strengthen their financial knowledge and work towards more sustainable futures for themselves and their families.

Help us empower more women to learn, grow and thrive.

💚 Support SANZAF’s Women Empowerment and Skills Development initiatives and help turn knowledge into opportunity, skills into livelihoods and empowerment into lasting community impact.

Books can open doors to imagination, strengthen language and communication, encourage curiosity and help children see possibilities beyond their immediate surroundings. But nurturing a lifelong love of reading requires more than simply placing a book in a child’s hands. It requires enthusiastic educators, engaging storytellers and communities that make reading an experience children genuinely look forward to.

Recognising the important role educators and community leaders play in shaping young minds, SANZAF partnered with We Love Reading to host an engaging literacy workshop for educators, madrasah teachers and community leaders on 24 July 2026 at the EMIRIS Nelson Mandela Bay Campus in Gqeberha.

The workshop equipped participants with practical tools and storytelling techniques they can take back into their classrooms, madrasahs and communities, extending the impact of a single training session to potentially reach many more young readers.

About We Love Reading: Changing Mindsets Through Reading

We Love Reading is an international, research-informed programme dedicated to fostering a love of reading for pleasure among children.

The programme operates under the patronage of Taghyeer, an independent nonprofit organisation founded in Amman, Jordan. Its model is simple yet powerful: local women, men and youth are trained to become reading ambassadors who regularly read aloud to children in community spaces.

Rather than focusing solely on teaching children how to read, We Love Reading seeks to help children want to read.

Its approach is designed to be simple, sustainable and scalable, while giving communities ownership by equipping local people to lead reading activities themselves. Today, We Love Reading has spread to more than 71 countries, with thousands of We Love Reading libraries established around the world.

At the heart of its philosophy is the belief that small actions can create far-reaching change, a principle that resonates deeply with SANZAF’s commitment to education and sustainable community development.

Equipping the People Who Shape Young Minds

Gathered at the EMIRIS Nelson Mandela Bay Campus, the workshop brought together educators, madrasah teachers and community leaders united by a common purpose: helping children build a meaningful and lasting relationship with books.

Advocate Mahomed Vahed, Literacy Ambassador with the Department of Basic Education and representative of the Young Leaders Academy, facilitated the programme.

Through an engaging and practical approach, Advocate Vahed demonstrated techniques participants could use to make reading more exciting, interactive and meaningful for learners.

The workshop focused on three key areas:

• Practical techniques to nurture a love of reading and encourage children to engage enthusiastically with books.
• Supporting literacy development by helping educators create positive and stimulating reading experiences.
• Building a stronger culture of reading within schools, madrasahs, homes and broader communities.

Participants explored how the way a story is shared can transform reading from a classroom exercise into something memorable, an experience filled with curiosity, imagination and connection.

Why a Love of Reading Matters

Literacy is foundational to a child’s educational journey, but the value of reading extends far beyond academic achievement.

When children engage regularly with books, they encounter new words, ideas, people and perspectives. Reading can expand vocabulary, strengthen comprehension and encourage children to ask questions, imagine possibilities and express themselves with greater confidence.

This is why empowering educators is so important.

One educator equipped with effective techniques can influence an entire classroom. A madrasah teacher can introduce those techniques to another group of learners. A community leader can create spaces where children gather around stories.

The impact begins to multiply.

By investing in the adults who guide children, SANZAF is helping to create environments where reading is not experienced simply as another task to complete, but as something children can enjoy and carry with them throughout their lives.

From a Workshop to a Reading Culture

The true measure of this initiative will not only be found in what participants learned on the day, but in what happens afterwards.

It will be found when an educator brings a story to life in the classroom.

When a madrasah teacher makes time for children to discover the joy of books.

When a reluctant reader becomes curious about the next page.

And when that curiosity develops into a lifelong habit of learning.

Creating a culture of reading is not achieved overnight. It grows through consistent, intentional moments - one educator, one story and one child at a time.

Through collaborations such as this, SANZAF continues to invest in education as a powerful means of empowerment and sustainable community upliftment.

We extend our heartfelt appreciation to We Love Reading, Advocate Mahomed Vahed and every educator, madrasah teacher and community leader who participated with such enthusiasm and commitment.

May the knowledge shared continue to travel beyond the workshop, into classrooms and communities, inspiring children to discover the wonder held within the pages of a book.

Because when we help a child fall in love with reading, we do more than develop a reader, we open the door to a lifetime of learning.

 

Give your Zakah, Sadaqah or Lillah through SANZAF and help us continue providing dignity, relief and development opportunity to communities in need.

DONATE NOW
Visit www.sanzaf.org.za/donate

Contact our office for more information 041 457 1459 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Water is something many of us access without a second thought. We turn on a tap to drink, prepare a meal, wash, clean or care for our families.

But when reliable access to clean water is limited, something as ordinary as filling a glass can become a daily challenge.

On 8 August 2026, SANZAF joined the community of Isithumba Village in the KwaXimba District in Durban for a meaningful milestone: the official handover of a newly installed borehole created to improve access to clean water for children and families in the area.

More than the unveiling of a completed project, the occasion represented what can happen when a community need is heard and support is transformed into a sustainable solution.

Responding to a Fundamental Need

Access to water touches almost every part of daily life.

It supports drinking and food preparation, personal hygiene, household responsibilities and the general well-being of families. Where access is difficult, the effects can be felt throughout a household and across an entire community.

Through engagement with members of the Isithumba community, the need for improved water access was identified. SANZAF responded by working towards a practical solution that would offer benefits beyond a once-off intervention.

The result was the installation of a borehole.

Its significance lies not only in providing water today, but in creating infrastructure that can continue serving the community into the future.

This reflects an important part of SANZAF’s approach to community upliftment: listening to the realities faced by communities and seeking solutions that promote dignity, resilience and longer-term well-being.

A Special Day for the Isithumba Community

The handover brought together SANZAF representatives, community members, local leadership and stakeholders to mark the completion of the project.

One of the most memorable moments was seeing the first water from the newly completed borehole being used.

It was a simple moment carrying profound meaning.

Behind that flowing water was a journey that began with identifying a need and culminated in infrastructure that can make everyday life easier for families in the area.

The official unveiling of the project plaque commemorated the occasion, while community representatives had an opportunity to speak and share in a moment that belonged, ultimately, to the people the borehole was created to serve.

The gathering also provided SANZAF with an important opportunity to engage directly with community members. These relationships matter because meaningful development begins with listening - not assuming what a community needs, but engaging with the people who understand their circumstances best.

More Than Water: Investing in Sustainable Community Development

Humanitarian support is often associated with responding to immediate hardship. While emergency assistance remains essential, sustainable community development asks another important question:

How can today’s support continue creating value tomorrow?

The Isithumba borehole represents this principle in action.

Unlike assistance that is consumed once, infrastructure has the potential to continue serving people repeatedly. Every time a child, parent or community member accesses the water, the project continues fulfilling its purpose.

It is this transition, from responding to a need to strengthening a community’s ability to meet that need - that makes sustainable interventions so valuable.

For SANZAF, community upliftment is about more than providing assistance. It is about preserving dignity and working towards solutions that can create meaningful, lasting change.

Turning Generosity into Lasting Impact

Projects such as the Isithumba borehole also demonstrate what donor support can make possible.

A contribution to humanitarian and development work may begin as an act of generosity, but its impact can extend much further. When directed towards sustainable infrastructure, that generosity can become something tangible, something communities can use and benefit from long after the initial project has been completed.

The borehole now stands as a physical reminder of the power of collective care.

It represents the journey from need, to action, to impact.

It also demonstrates why continued support for community development matters. Across South Africa, communities face different challenges and effective responses require understanding those needs and investing in interventions that are appropriate, practical and sustainable.

Listening to Communities, Building Solutions

The handover in Isithumba was therefore not simply the conclusion of a project.

It was a celebration of community connection and a reminder of what becomes possible when people work together towards a shared purpose.

SANZAF remains committed to engaging communities, identifying genuine needs and supporting initiatives that promote dignity and long-term upliftment.

The borehole may be a single project in a single village, but its meaning extends beyond the infrastructure itself.

It is found in every family that can benefit from improved access to water.

It is found in the relationships strengthened through the project.

And it is found in the knowledge that generosity, when transformed into sustainable action, can continue giving long after the day of the handover.

Give your Zakah, Sadaqah or Lillah through SANZAF and help us continue providing dignity, relief and opportunity to communities in need.

DONATE NOW
Visit www.sanzaf.org.za/donate

Support our community development initiatives today. Contact our office on 031 309 6786