Youth Invest equips Victoria Falls artisans with business & social media skills
Tracy Moyo
Victoria Falls – Youth Invest, a pro-youth and feminist-oriented organization has launched a new initiative aimed at empowering artisans from Victoria Falls and Hwange District’s craft curio markets with critical skills to strengthen their businesses and drive social change.
The two-day workshop, held under the banner “Empowering Artisans for Social Change”, focused on promoting sustainable practices, improving business planning and budgeting, and helping local crafters leverage digital tools for economic advancement.
“We as men from Qhubani Curio Market today learned about the use of social media. We thought the best phone to use was a basic one, but today we learned that social media can take our sales to greater heights,” said Dumile Mpofu, one of the workshop participants.
The training emphasized the importance of having a structured business plan to clarify ideas, set achievable goals, and design strategies for growth. Participants were also introduced to basic financial planning tools and customer engagement strategies.
Hilda Ndebele, another artisan, said the session opened her eyes to the value of formalizing her business and marketing her products effectively.
“I learned that I should register my company—it should be known—and I learned how to advertise my products on Twitter and WhatsApp statuses,” she said.
“I also learned to be an artisan of integrity; I should not claim that I hand-made products that I actually sourced from others.”
Speaking at the close of the workshop, Mgcini Moyo, Programs Director for Youth Invest, said the initiative seeks to promote inclusive economic development through skills training and ethical business practices.
“This project aims to equip artisans with essential knowledge and promote sustainable business practices. By fostering collaboration and promoting environmental and social accountability, we want to drive meaningful change in the local economy,” said Moyo.
