5 Minutes With Nazareen

What’s your passion? Philanthropy and entrepreneurship. I’m most happy when I’m helping somebody, giving somebody knowledge or connecting them to the right person. Also, collaboration is very important.

What change are you keen to drive? Decreasing unemployment and increasing human dignity. I also want people to become more socially aware. We need to change our mindsets. That scarring and the way people still think and speak is in everything. Apartheid succeeded very, very well in putting up huge barriers…

How are you driving change? Until now I’ve been quite involved in trying to build my own credibility as a business person. My ACTIVATE! project is to use the business corner at our local municipal library to educate middle and lower-income communities about entrepreneurship, through online forums, e-learning and/or thought leaders.

How has ACTIVATE! supported you so far in driving this change? Helping me to listen more and understand things better. Offering an environment where I am respected and feel part of a team.

What do you think is the priority in setting the agenda for our country over the next five years? Entrepreneurship, which relates to employment, literacy and skills transfer; sex education and woman and child abuse.

How do you motivate yourself? Good exercise gives me purpose, motivates me and helps me think more clearly. And then I have a belief that we all have greatness in us. There’s a point in living on this planet. You have to help people, recognise others and their needs.

Final comment? I’m definitely not your typical Muslim Indian female in South Africa. Indian females these days are doing well, have excellent positions, and push radical change.

Nazareen Ebrahim

Province: Kwazulu Natal

Municipal district: Phoenix, Durban

Activator since 2014

 



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