Makers Valley Partnership NPC

We would use the funding to assist with increasing institutional capacity by growing the size and competencies of the board; recruiting a skilled and experienced Programme/Operational manager, aligning team responsibilities with organisational strategy, and strengthening our communications and online presence.

The name ‘Makers Valley’ refers to the growing presence and activities of many forms of independent enterprise.  

Our vision is that the entrepreneurial activities of the growing numbers of ‘Makers’ in the Valley produce livelihood opportunities, thus generating a localised form of sustainable development, taking place within a Wellbeing Economy model.

The Makers Valley Partnership NPC is currently based within Victoria Yards, a donated studio space which has become the connection point for members of the community and acts as a hub for collaboration and implementation of programming.

Makers Valley Partnership (MVP) is a newly-established non-profit company, created to support the Vision of Makers Valley as ‘Jozi’s Heart of Social and Creative Enterprise’.

Makers Valley is a neighbourhood to the east of Johannesburg’s CBD.  It stretches from New Doornfontein to Bezuidenhout Valley, and includes Bertrams, Judith’s Paarl, Troyeville and Lorentzville.

According to Stats SA approximately 8.2 million (40.1%) of South Africa’s 20.4 million young people aged 15 to 34 are not in employment, education or training of any sort.    

Within Makers Valley, 19 743 (44%) of the approximately 44 872 residents are aged between 15 and 34. Given the national statistics, and based on substantial anecdotal evidence, it is clear that close to half of these young people are out of work.  

Makers Valley Partnership is committed to helping to redress this situation; hence our vision to support the rising tide of entrepreneurism in the Valley.

We have a unique relationship with the Property Developer and is is through this model that we believe not only ours but communities throughout our country can transform and reduce inequalities, See here an article about the ULI win that highlights this.

Makers Valley doesn’t just enhance wellbeing, but it's actually changes the social relations that are operating within that neighbourhood with the ultimate aim of building a wellbeing economy. One of the biggest issues in South Africa is inequality, and we're trying to enable the connections between wealthy people, both within the neighborhood that are kind of mostly business owners, and people that are residents in the neighbourhood who are poorer. Once there are networks and connections between people from different socioeconomic groups, we find that people just organically share more. We started Maker's Valley Partnership to make this happen, which is really an intermediary organization. We have a small operational team, and a whole range of partners that actually do the implementation of different projects. We’ve got funding from the US Consulate and British Council, and use the grants to stimulate more social networks. We're trying to build the social infrastructure through Maker’s Valley Partnership and the team there, but the physical infrastructure attracts a lot of wealthy people into the neighbourhood. Our aim is to reduce the negative effects of gentrification, but at the same time keep the kind of gentrification elements within the walls of the development.