Welcome to Changemakers Groups

Welcome to Changemakers Groups! Your story and method of debt repayment are really interesting and commendable. 

Having spent 6 years living and working in South Africa myself, I can fully relate to what you are saying. Soweto in particular seems to be mired with  complexities and very negative perceptions. Having been welcomed by the community while visiting and facilitating capacity building workshops, I felt a fondness for, and connection to, the place as well.

Fortunately, I came across many inspirational changemakers there  -- both individuals and organizations engaged in great community development.

More recently, through Ashoka Changemakers, I have also come across some very interesting initiatives unfolding in South Africa. Although you mentioned moving past sports related initiatives, if you're not already familiar with them I wanted to point out that Grassroot Soccer has an office in the country and projects throughout Africa. They were one of our three winners for the Sports for a Better World competition that we ran in 2008. You might be interested in checking out their entry "Using the Power of Soccer in the Fight Against AIDS".
 

This year I also had the pleasure of meeting Marjore Schlenoff, Founder of Teach with Africa who is also involved in educational projects in South Africa. She has created the online group "Breaking Barriers - Education Innovation and Reform in Africa". She'd probably be a good person to connect with as well.

Looking forward to seeing how your group and debt repayment strategy works out. The best of luck, energy and inspiration to you!

Cheers,

Elizabeth