PPS / Personal Finance 'Phakamisa' Woman of the year winner announced

In honour of Women's Day on 9 August, PPS together with Personal Finance today announced Léanne Keet as the winner of the PPS/Personal Finance Professional Woman of the Year (PWOTY) award, with the theme of the award being ‘Phakamisa’ meaning “to uplift”

According to Dr Sybil Seoka, Deputy Chairman at PPS, the winner of the PWOTY award receives R50 000 towards a job-creation project initiated or managed by her as a female PPS graduate professional member. The project should aim to contribute towards increasing levels of employment in a particular community, especially among the youth.

“Recent studies conducted by PPS have shown that the high rate of unemployment is one of the most pressing socio-economic concerns for graduate professionals.”

Dr Seoka says that PPS has become aware of several job-creation initiatives driven by PPS members. “As a result, PPS together with Personal Finance established the competition to further assist those women who are making a difference in their communities.”

Keet, an Occupational Therapist, received the award for a Non-Profit Organisation called Masikhule Childcare that she established in 2005 with the aim of providing practical and accessible training to unemployed women in aspects of early childhood development.

After undergoing the training, Keet says Masikhule also helps these women to find employment as domestic workers/childminders or at established Educare Centres. “Unemployed women who attend our courses are also given assistance to set up Educare centres in their own communities and townships.

“We offer mentorship, guidance and support service which includes assistance with the registration of their facilities, infrastructure and resource development, as well as further in-service training and more advanced courses in the areas of Early Childhood Learning and Development (ECD), with particular reference to working according to aims, outcomes, themes and activities.”

To date Keet has trained 1010 women and assisted more than 400 women in either finding employment, establishing their own centres or to become employed at community centres.

Keet says the money will go towards offering unemployed women and those running ECD centres a series of practical workshops in basic business management and administration skills as well as administration packs consisting of office supplies and stationary. “This will not only ensure the sustainability of their business, but ensure the growth of themselves as business women.”

In order to win, nominees had to show how the R50000 will be applied to make a meaningful difference to the success of their respective initiatives. In addition to the financial award, PPS is also offering free financial planning services to the winning project.

“We are thrilled that we can assist Keet with her initiative and trust that the award will boost the community in which she operates and motivate other women out there to develop and drive similar initiatives that promote employment,” concludes Dr Seoka.