Celebrating Meta #Changemakers from Zimbabwe ,Zambia & South Africa

Meta has announced the launch of its first #Changemakers campaign – a collection of short films, aimed at illustrating the innovative spirit of six inspirational #Changemakers from Zimbabwe and across Southern Africa.

The featured #Changemakers have launched new businesses online and re-engineered their initiatives to empower communities during the ongoing health and economic crisis.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been more than a health crisis: it’s an economic crisis that has disproportionately impacted SMBs, creators, and entrepreneurs.

Due to the pandemic, creators and SMBs are facing a challenge of a lifetime, but they remain hopeful and are making efforts to adapt by moving online through using Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp to innovate, as they seek to ride out the challenges of the pandemic.

The six short films provide a glimpse into the lives of the #Changemakers and celebrate their resilience during this unprecedented time.

Featured in the #Changemakers campaign:

• Maxwell Chimedza (Zimbabwe) – looked to Facebook and WhatsApp to educate students, when schools closed in Zimbabwe, this increased the demand for his WhatsApp classrooms.
• KeritaTawana Choga (Zimbabwe) – launched errand-running service,Tuma Kerri, in November 2020. Today, it serves hundreds of customers mostly from the diaspora who want to deliver goods to family and friends in Zimbabwe or get other chores done.

  

• Lulu Wood (Zambia) – (and her husband) started a food blog called the Wood Kitchen on Facebook and Instagram, her audience exploded during lockdown, with more than 112,000 people following her on Instagram and 215,000 on Facebook.
• Kapasa Musonda (Zambia) – owns vibrant fashion lineMangishi Doll, due to Covid she moved her business completely online, reaching new customers in Zambia and across the world.
• Davy Tsopo (South Africa) – launchedCakey by Davyon Instagram, after being retrenched from his role as a restaurant cleaner during lockdown.
• PJ Sabbagha and NamatshegoKhutsoane (South Africa) – from the Forgotten Angle Theatre Collaborative (FATC), turned to WhatsApp to host the world’s first arts festival,My Body My Space.

Commenting on the campaign and the importance of empowering SMBs during this time, NunuNtshingila, Regional Director at Meta Africa, said: “We’re proud to play a role in this transformation.

“Our recent study conducted by Genesis Analytics has indicated that 84% of African SMBs that use Meta technologies have reported them to be critical in the growth of their business.

More so, 77% indicated that their business is stronger today because of our technologies. It’s important for us to help SMBs and people who are using Meta technologies as they rebuild, re-engineer, and recover from the ongoing pandemic and economic crisis.

We believe, as these Changemakers have shown, that digital tools and solutions can empower SMBs and creators to find new customers, create revenue streams, and ultimately, reinvent their businesses for a time of flux and change.”