Name: Ramadimetja Makgeru

Province: Gauteng

Ramadimetja describes herself as a young vibrant female who is passionate about social development. She loves writing, solving problems and assisting others. She asserts that she will drive change in whatever space you put her in. 

Why did you decide to be part of the ACTIVATE! Network?

It’s very rare to meet young people who are passionate about social development and driving change in society, so I knew that the only way to meet a group of young people as passionate about social development as me was to join the Activate! Network.

What did you enjoy the most about training?

I enjoyed meeting young leaders who all had a story to tell. We were all from various backgrounds, so there was always something new to learn from just listening to someone else. We shared tips and strategies on how to improve our different projects.

How has training helped you or changed your perspective?

It has opened my eyes to a lot of things I wasn’t aware of. It taught me the importance of politics and why I must be an active citizen. I also learnt new skills that will help me in any project I am involved in.

What do you think the role of the youth is in developing the country?

The role of the youth is to create a new future in which generations that follow will be able to live freely.

What is your field of interest?

Entrepreneurship and community development are my main areas of focus. I love working with people and finding solutions to problems that are faced by communities daily.

How are you driving change in your community/How would you like to drive change in your community?

The issue of young school girls not having the financial means to access sanitary pads is very close to my heart. I collect and donate sanitary pads to schools in my home village of Mohlaletse, GaSekhukhune.

Through my company, Competent Creations, I plan to donate menstrual cups (a more sustainable period management tool) to these girls. We are still in talks with a potential client that manufactures them. 

I would like sanitary towel donations from anyone who can support my initiative and any entrepreneurs who need assistance with setting up a company can contact me or my company directly from our website (www.competentcreations.co.za).

My love for community service is mostly seen through my blog, changeholic.wordpress.com, where I profile young people that are making active changes in society. So, I plan to keep active in the network by hopefully becoming a writer for Activate and covering the stories of activators on the activate website.

What are your plans for next year?

I will be continuing my community projects, better equipped of course, but I will be putting a lot of energy into my small start-up Competent Creations Agency (Pty) Ltd (www.competentcreations.co.za). I have applied for the Switch programme, and other incubation programmes as well, to enable me to grow as an entrepreneur and hopefully have a stable business by the end of 2017.

I also want to grow as a writer, so I will be taking up a lot of writing opportunities out there.

How will you be involving the network in your plans?

I want to travel around South Africa, meeting different Activators and telling their stories to the world through writing. Even if I don’t get a chance to do that through Activate, I will be sharing their stories on my own blog (I have already started!)