Hambrook Skills Expo

The idea began with a conversation about some of the challenges facing the Hambrook community, where several members of the Three Tree Hill team live. That conversation has developed into a programme focused on creating opportunities for skills development, agricultural knowledge, entrepreneurship and career guidance.

The Skills Expo followed the community's July Fun Run and brought together organisations and businesses willing to share practical knowledge and information.

Practical skills for a rural community
The morning programme focused particularly on farming and livestock, alongside life skills, entrepreneurship and career guidance.

Organisations and businesses contributing to the day included Mdukatshani Rural Development Project, Molatek, AGRIMARK, Soguba Farming, the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Social Development and the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA).

The Good News Company NPO and Three Tree Hill Foundation also had information stands and provided lunch, refreshments, seedlings and plants for community members to take home.

For people interested in farming, the day offered an opportunity to ask questions directly of people working in agriculture and to learn about practical aspects of livestock production and small-scale farming.

Learning about indigenous goat farming
One of the highlights was a session led by Gugulethu Mbatha, an experienced woman farmer who shared practical knowledge about indigenous goat farming.

Her presentation covered goat care and housing, feeding, common ailments and disease prevention. She finished with a hands-on demonstration showing community members how to make a protein lick for livestock.

It was a good example of what the Skills Expo was intended to achieve: sharing practical knowledge that people can take home and potentially apply in their own farming activities.

Local entrepreneurs showing what is possible
The Expo also showcased a range of small businesses and income-generating activities already taking place within the wider community.

Exhibitors included a business making headboards, a manufacturer of cleaning products, women selling eggs and spinach, and people producing beaded items, shoes, candles made from beeswax, honey and door mats made from recycled plastic packets.

For visitors, this was an opportunity to see that entrepreneurship does not always start with a large investment or sophisticated premises. Many small businesses begin with a skill, a product and a willingness to find a market for it.

More than an agricultural event
For The Good News Company NPO (Reg. 250-067), whose primary focus is addiction education and support, the Skills Expo forms part of a broader approach to community development.

The organisation recognises that issues such as substance abuse, gender-based violence, crime, poverty, school drop-out rates and youth unemployment are interconnected with a lack of opportunities and accessible support.

Rather than focusing only on the problems, the Expo provided a space for people to encounter practical information, skills, organisations and potential pathways into further education, training, farming and entrepreneurship.

Looking ahead
Planning is already underway for the next Hambrook Skills Expo in September 2027, with smaller entrepreneurial masterclasses and skills-development sessions planned in between.

The Asher Group and the Small Enterprise Development and Finance Agency (SEFDA) are among the organisations that have indicated their support for future programmes.

For Three Tree Hill Foundation, this is about more than holding a once-a-year event. It is about listening to the community, working with organisations that have relevant skills and experience, and creating opportunities for people to learn, connect and explore possibilities for themselves.

Hambrook has shown that there is an appetite for practical knowledge, new ideas and opportunity.

The challenge now is to keep building on that momentum.