What South Africa taught me about hope

When I was asked to contribute to the Jewish National Dialogue, I brought the question to our team at ORT SA, people who work on the ground in communities across South Africa. All are deeply immersed in the daily challenges and untapped potential of this country.

Reading their reflections and stories, one thing became clear: we are living in a time of deep frustration, but also of quiet optimism. The stories they shared reflect not just individual experiences, but broader societal issues.

Unemployment is rising, especially among young people. Loadshedding, especially in townships and rural areas, is routine. Small businesses, our economy’s foundation, are barely holding on. Funding and mentorship are out of reach for most. And yet, through all of it, you see fire. You see people who refuse to give up. These stories force us to stop looking at the data from a distance, and start paying attention to what it means up close. Because behind every statistic is someone trying to build a future, and if we don’t start listening, we’ll lose them.

Ndumiso Ngwenya, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) facilitator, who works closely with our outreach community, put it simply: a qualification isn’t enough anymore. He described how so many young people finish their studies only to find themselves stuck, without jobs, without the skills today’s world demands, and without the money or connections to upskill. The belief that a degree guarantees a job is crumbling, and with it comes real heartbreak, and sometimes desperation.

The traditional mindset that higher education automatically guarantees a job is simply no longer viable, leading to frustration and hopelessness, sometimes driving young people towards desperate measures like crime or substance abuse.

This reality is something Christopher Dickie, project manager skills – ED; and Anyway Chare, STEM-IT Big Data, echoed, emphasising the need for skills training to be accessible and for our higher education institutions to be more practically-oriented. Helene Itzkin, HOD ORT Jet, reflected on South Africa’s history, pointing out that despite significant spending on entrepreneurship development, success has been limited, largely due to exclusive access to programmes and red tape. She suggested resisting quick fixes and instead doubling down on long term, people-focused programmes.

That’s where ORT SA comes in. We exist in the messy middle between reality and possibility. Our work is guided by values we live every day: integrity, resilience, empathy, innovation, and ubuntu. These values guide everything we do, from supporting entrepreneurs to mentoring the next generation and empowering communities with skills and purpose. As Rifilwe Mokatane, skills’ intern, reminded us, ubuntu is a national identity. It’s about showing up for each other, building together, and not losing sight of the human thread that binds us.

At its heart, ubuntu has a deep affinity with the Jewish value of tikkun olam – our responsibility to repair the world. One speaks isiZulu, the other Hebrew, but both remind us that we are accountable for one another, and that healing, justice, and progress are communal efforts. Together, they form the foundation of our work, and our hope.

Take Lucy for example. (Her name has been changed). A young lady on an ORT SA learnership programme, she faced a traumatic incident of domestic violence. This deeply affected her participation, mood, confidence, and behaviour. Skills facilitator David Brown noticed the change and reached out. That connection, just someone paying attention, was the start of her turning point. Through coaching, Lucy started to see her own thought patterns more clearly. She learned how to make decisions for herself instead of getting pulled into old cycles. Within a month, she was ticking off her personal action plan. She had found her footing. What changed? Not her circumstances, but the support system around her. Someone listened. Someone believed in her. And that gave her the tools to believe in herself.

As Tracey Catania, project manager, ORT Jet, highlighted, the best support comes from those who listen, solve problems, and position themselves as trusted advisors, building long-term relationships grounded in credibility.

So, what does a better South Africa look like to us at ORT SA?

We imagine a country where every person has the chance to grow, regardless of background or zip code. A place where township businesses are just as likely to succeed as those in the suburbs. Where mentorship is the norm, not the exception. Where skills are learned not just in lecture halls, but through hands-on training. Where youth are taught not only to dream, but how to build.

It’s a thriving business centre for Africa, an example to the world on how to start, sustain, and grow businesses that become employment centres and positively impact communities through genuine social impact programmes, moving beyond mere compliance.

We’re not waiting for that South Africa to arrive, we’re helping to create it. Through the support of more than 400 businesses by the ORT Jet and the Skills and ED Academy. We train thousands of post-school youth in digital skills and big data through the IT Academy, and hundreds of school pupils and teachers in coding and robotics in the STEM Academy. It’s practical, measurable work. And it’s changing lives.

Hope isn’t a slogan. It’s the grit of the entrepreneur who tries again after failing. It’s the teenager who stays late to master a new tool. It’s the mentor who answers the phone after hours. That’s what gives me faith.

The young people I meet through our programmes carry this country’s future on their backs. They remind me that real change doesn’t need to be flashy. It just needs to be consistent, human, and rooted in care.

Because if there’s one thing South Africa has taught me, it’s this: we’re not short on problems, but we’re overflowing with potential.

The question is: what will we do with it? My invitation to you is simple: get involved. Mentor, fund, partner, speak up. The future is already here, and it needs all of us.

• Ariellah Rosenberg, ORT SA chief executive, drives STEM, entrepreneurship, and skills programmes, expanding opportunities for outreach and Jewish communities, with more than 30 years of experience in education and the non-governmental sector.