Author: MergonAdmin

Through her award winning company, of eyeSlices®, founder and CEO Kerryne Krause is making a tangible contribution to the social justice landscape in South Africa. In this summary of her interview with Ziwani’s Sibs Sibanda, she offers a few practical examples of how Christians can operate as what she calls, a ‘community of conscience.’

Practical perspectives on redeeming the supply chain

‘Linking the supply chain to social justice is not a new idea, nor is it limited to Christian businesspeople,’ says Kerryne. ‘The global retail sector, for example, is putting more and more pressure on brands to audit their supply chains regarding issues such as child labour, minimum wages, mistreatment of minorities, environmental consciousness, and so on.’

So how does redemptive engagement by Christians in business look any different from what ethical business is already doing?

Kerryne answers, ‘The first thing that comes to mind, is motive. God looks at the heart. Many businesses fall in with emerging trends, or contribute to various causes, purely for the sake of positive brand association. But the ‘why’ behind our actions matters – is our aim to be compliant, or to be transformative?’

She continues, ‘God’s Kingdom is often counter-intuitive. In tough economic times, business leaders feel justified in cutting their labour force, or cutting salaries. But would the CEO be prepared to take a salary cut, in order to retain more staff? It is important to be wise, but are they willing to do what is right, as opposed to what is acceptable?’ As a Christian business leader, you are sometimes called to make big sacrifices, without anyone else knowing about it.

Many Christians feel that their role in society is to point out everything that is wrong or evil. Kerryne disagrees, ‘We need to realise that part of our role as agents of redemption is to affirm what is good. Ethical business is already doing so much with respect to auditing the supply chain – and as Christian business leaders we can affirm that it is good, and add momentum to it. Then, we can trust God for even more creativity and wisdom to address social justice issues, and be even more generous in spirit.’

Supporting social justice through manufacturing

Kerryne explains how eyeSlices® supports social justice through redemptive practices in manufacturing.

‘As business owners, even when we don’t have a lot of resources, the one area where we can make a difference is skills development. We need to see the potential in people,’ she says. ‘But I have to confess that this is sometimes a thankless task – you go through all the effort of finding someone, training them, and then they leave you when a better opportunity comes along.’ She continues, ‘At one time, I became disillusioned. I just wanted to employ someone who already had the skills, who could just do their job. I would pay them a good wage, and treat them fairly, but didn’t want to go the extra mile anymore.’ She felt God speak to her, saying, ‘This is not only about your business. You’re putting skills back into the economy, and making a difference in people’s lives. I care about them, too.’

It is good to keep that perspective, Kerryne realised. ‘It isn’t always about us, about our efforts, about our little business ecosystem. Every redemptive action has a knock-on effect, and we shouldn’t become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up,’ as is written in Galatians 6:9.

Another way Kerryne and her team supports social justice through manufacturing, is to support local business. ‘We source 99% of our ingredients, packaging and other manufacturing requirements from South Africa, as opposed to importing from China. We visit our suppliers in person, we know their values – so that we can authentically audit our supply chain, while also stimulating the local economy.’

Even this is not a fail-safe approach. Kerryne remembers, ‘Besides sourcing from local suppliers, we looked for other product packing companies to pass on our overflow work. We were so excited when we found a company that employs people with disabilities, because we believed it would give their staff the opportunity to be economically active, and to have dignity. When we asked a few questions about their cost structure, we realised they were paying their staff way below the minimum wage. The company had concocted a system where they qualified for government subsidies, as well as earning from market-related pricing, but without passing on the financial benefits to their staff.’ In the end, eyeSlices® didn’t do business with them.

Social justice impacts the individual

Kerryne comments, ‘We are confronted with social justice issues and poverty on such a massive scale in South Africa, that we feel we have to make a difference on a massive scale. It can sometimes feel like we’re trying to fill up an abyss. But whatever efforts we make in engaging redemptively in society, makes a difference.’

She smiles, ‘One of our staff members started working for us about 9 years ago. She was completely unskilled, and had missing front teeth. Even though she rose through the ranks of the company she was always self-conscious and stayed in the background. We realised that she could never afford the dentistry, so we paid to have her teeth fixed. It created an astounding turnaround in her life – she became confident and outgoing, and is now one of our factory supervisors.’

Kerryne encourages other Christians in business to keep engaging the issue of social justice. ‘Sometimes we get tired or disappointed, sometimes we fail to help when we had the means to do so. But it’s never too late to try again. God wants to guide you – in the season of your business, with the resources you have, in the changes you need to make, where you need to step out in faith. Don’t look at what other people are doing – focus on your own journey, on what God is saying to you, and walk that out in obedience.’

For more articles like this visit https://ziwani.com/.

All rights reserved. Copyright 2018 Mergon Group.

In this interview summary, Ziwani’s Sibs Sibanda speaks to Nelson Ashitiva about the concept of a God-given multigenerational purpose and the unique role this current generation can play in Africa’s transformation. He addresses the continent’s economic crisis as the number one challenge facing the current generation and inspires us to believe that ‘we can also change our story, our fortunes – and learn from those who have gone before us.’ 

This article is one of many you’ll find in Ziwani’s Knowledge Hub – a growing collection of excellent, Biblically aligned resources that are co-created and contextualised to Africa’s unique contexts. Browse our site, www.ziwani.com, to access these resources and engage with other business leaders by joining an X-Change community. 

The Role Of Generational Purpose In Building A Prosperous Africa

 

“My business journey is as a result of the generational blessing that was passed on to me by my parents, and to them by their parents,” Nelson Ashitiva states by way of introduction.

“Although my mom and dad were not business people, there were certain aspects of our household that had a business component. My mom was a teacher, and a farmer on the side. She planted cabbages and maize, and supplemented the family income by keeping cows and selling the milk to hospitals and schools. My father was the principal of a school, and very focused on the role that good leadership can play in transforming a school, and a community. So, from my mother’s business acumen, and my father’s leadership traits – I received a blessing.”

Building with the next generation in mind

He strongly believes that there is an urgent need in Africa to establish transgenerational businesses. Quoting Proverbs 13:22, he says, “A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children.” This doesn’t mean that our children have to work in the family business, but we do need to teach them how to embrace a business culture, so that they can progress beyond us. We need to set up our children, and their children, for success.”

Nelson is passionate about the concept of a God-given generational purpose – that each generation has its own contribution to make, while being connected to a bigger narrative.

He explains, “When you consider God’s relationship with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, as well as with Joseph – you realise that they each had a different role to play. The same when you consider David and Solomon. David wanted to build the temple, but God said to him, ‘You may not build a house for my name, for you are a man of war and have shed blood… Solomon your son is the one who will build my house and my courts, for I have chosen him’” (1 Chron. 28:3, 6). To ensure that the temple would be “exceedingly magnificent, of fame and glory throughout all lands,” David still gathered all the required materials and made preparations for it on behalf of his son (1 Chron. 22:5).

Overlaying this generational purpose onto the African context, Nelson points out that “our grandparents played their role in advancing the continent by gaining independence from colonial rule. The result is that our generation doesn’t have to deal with the question of whether or not we are fully-fledged citizens living in a sovereign state – we are enjoying the benefits of their sacrifice.” He continues, “The struggle of our parents’ generation was to gain wider access to better education, and to transform the political environment from despotism to democracy.”

Fulfilling our generational purpose

Now the important question is, Nelson says, “In Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Ghana, South Africa, Morocco – what will our generation be known for? How will we advance the continent? Our grandfathers dreamed of a free Africa, our fathers dreamed of respect for human rights, what is our dream?”

For Nelson, the number one challenge the current generation needs to overcome is Africa’s economic crisis.

He laments, “We lost our ‘best brains’ through slavery, then we lost our ‘best brains’ through despotic rulership – we cannot continue to lose our ‘best brains’ through the lack of economic opportunity.” There is an urgency in his voice. “We have to fulfil our God-given purpose as David did, ‘…for after David had done the will of God in his own generation, he died’” (Acts 13:36).

“Every generation needs leaders. Africa has natural resources and intellectual property that we can harness – we have something to bring to the table. We can sit together and plan a growth trajectory, similar to what China and the Asian Tigers have done. We have to reimagine Africa as an economically empowered continent,” he asserts.

Since the 1980s, “China has undergone a structural transformation from a rural agricultural country to a more urbanised and service-oriented economy. The wealth of the Chinese population as measured by annual per capita income, has increased more than a hundredfold in both rural and urban areas” (GED). The four Asian Tigers (Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan) have achieved high levels of economic growth since the 1960s. “We can also change our story, our fortunes – especially since we can learn from those who have gone before us,” Nelson comments.

Living the faith we preach

Such a transgenerational vision is powerful, and sacrificial – in contrast to modern individualism. Often, we live our own small stories, without reference to a larger story. For many Africans adversity is a daily reality, and adversity can have two outcomes: It can bring us closer together, or it can isolate us from one another. It can show us the value of community, or it can increase our selfishness. When we hear news of African migrants drowning in their attempts to cross over into Europe, do our hearts bleed, or do we simply shrug and carry on with our own lives? Do we care that our neighbours have a roof over their heads, good food on the table, access to quality education and healthcare?

It is important to realise though, that this is not a call to a social gospel, to ‘make this world a better place’. This is what it actually means to “love your neighbour as yourself” (Mat. 22:39). Nelson reminds us, “When Jesus spoke to the lady at the well (John 4), he spoke to her first about natural water, before he spoke about eternal water. We demonstrate that we love our neighbours when we empower them to have dignity. It creates the opportunity for a credible gospel to be preached – that we’re not just saying ‘God loves you,’ but we’re demonstrating it in word and deed.”

For example, Nelson is active in the law, structured finance and energy sectors. He states, “As a lawyer, part of my responsibility is to promote economic justice. I want to create a more equitable economic reality, because access to wealth enables families to create a better future. Incidentally, they also make better political decisions, because they’re not simply voting for the person who gave them a handout. And people who are economically empowered are less susceptible to abuse.”

“As an advisor in the energy sector, I keep in mind the major role that affordable and efficient energy plays in stimulating economic growth. But I also consider its environmental impact, for the sake of future generations,” he continues. “As an advisor to corporate companies, I keep in mind ethics and sound business principles.” As a trustee of the Hesabika (meaning ‘stand up and be counted’), he has joined fellow Christian professionals in various industries who are working together to transform Kenya into a more prosperous nation.

Nelson offers this encouragement, “Remember that we are not the first generation to deal with disruption. The current technological disruption doesn’t compare to the cultural disruption that our grandparents had to navigate. We have been taught the foundations of the faith since childhood, and have many advantages they didn’t have. So, believe in the potential of our continent – we can transform Africa into a prosperous place for all.”

This is about how we as Christians engage redemptively in and through our work – to demonstrate the wisdom and glory of God in every sphere of life, and in so doing bring about human flourishing, from generation to generation.

All rights reserved. Copyright 2018 Mergon Group.