Khanyisile Motsa, affectionately known as Mam’ Khanyi, is the founder of the Home of Hope in Berea near Hillbrow. More than a shelter, Home of Hope is an awe-inspiring initiative aimed at supporting vulnerable children and families experiencing various hardships.
“Taking care of a hundred kids has taught me a lot! They have shared a lot of situations that have equipped me with the knowledge to counsel other kids that have gone through similar circumstances. I have learnt how to be street wise and that has given us the ability to rescue underage children from brothels. Their resilience has kept me going and the abundance of love they give makes me feel like I am the richest person in the world!” says Mam Khanyi beaming with pride.
Khanyi’s passion for helping her community and spreading Ubuntu has been the driving force behind creating the Home of Hope. Her selflessness and perseverance has been the catalyst that has allowed a succession of vulnerable children to leave her home and become successful and positive contributors to society.
Mam’ Khanyi first moved from KwaZulu-Natal to Berea in 1999 for the benefit of her small import-export business. During her second week in her new apartment, she noticed some children – mostly girls – laughing and giggling in the street outside her home. What really caught her attention were their ages, as some of the girls were as young as 10 years. It was at this moment that she said to herself ‘No! This is not okay, why are they not in school?’. She later learnt that the girls were prostitutes. Her actions following that discovery turned her home into a shelter and expanded her family from four children to fourteen children, overnight.
Mam’ Khanyi shared these confidences with Ruda Landman in an interview about the big changes that have happened in her life, one of many conversations taking place on BrightRock’s Change Exchange (www.changeexchange.co.za). This dynamic online platform that taps into the emotions behind consumers’ biggest financial decisions is a space where people can learn from others going through the same “Change Moments”, ask questions and share experiences.
Mam Khanyi’s discussion with Landman was published on the Change Exchange earlier today (13 November 2014), and in it she shares some scary moments that taught her the importance of having the courage to fight for a child’s future. She also gives some inspirational advice about directing your own life to create change in the world.
This is the eighth in a series of change-focused interviews by Landman, who herself is no stranger to change, having given up a secure, stable job in the media to pursue a career in freelancing. The series kicked off in May with an interview with Gareth Cliff, who left his job as a radio DJ to start his own “unradio” show and online radio station, CliffCentral. Landman has also interviewed educator Professor Jonathan Jansen, and Afrikaans rapper Jack Parow among others.
The Change Exchange focuses on four key Change Moments, which include “Starting a family”, “Tying the knot”, “Landing that job” and “Making a home”. A diverse mix of contributors, known as Change Agents, have shared their experiences on the Change Exchange.
Suzanne Stevens, Executive Director at BrightRock, explains that they have identified an opportunity to engage with consumers at a more personal, emotional level. Industry research shows that consumers’ propensity to initiate an insurance purchase is far higher at these times. A 2012 study in the Journal of Risk and Insurance* showed that there was an increase in self-initiated life insurance purchases when starting a new job.
“These significant life changes not only impact consumers’ finances, but also their health, lifestyle and sense of identity. BrightRock has identified an opportunity to engage with consumers at a more personal, emotional level.”
“Traditionally, the role life insurance plays at these times is limited to the financial aspects of the change, and the interaction between provider and consumer tends towards the factual and rational. But these are moments that reshape the way we look at the world, and the way the world looks at us. The emerging field of behavioural economics has shown that people are far more driven by emotions and unconscious biases when making financial decisions than previously thought. BrightRock operates in this space, where emotions and money meet,” says Stevens.
“As our product is designed to change with you as your financial interests shift at these major, life changing moments, we believe these moments are exactly the right time to be engaging with consumers in a way that addresses both the financial and emotional impacts. Our product addresses people’s financial needs, and our aim with the Change Exchange is to also help people navigate some of the other aspects of these moments, regardless of whether they’re a BrightRock client or not.”
Since the Change Exchange’s launch in March 2014, the exchange has received 73 000 page views and close to 32 000 visitors who have enjoyed over 27 000 sessions on the site. With engagement has also spilled over into the social media space, with over 7 000 conversations flowing out of the topics discussed on the Change Exchange. Says Stevens: “These are early indicators that the concept is sound and the quality of the content is good. But we are well aware that these are the very first ‘baby steps’ and we fully expect that the Change Exchange will mirror life, and will change over time as it grows!”
Many more change moment “Ruda-interviews” are in the pipeline some with well-known personalities and some with interesting people you may never have heard of.
Join the conversation at www.changeexchange.co.za
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