Khan Contributes to Project Supported by U.S. Consulate

Honors student Gabe Khan, ’23 (Bioengineering) spent his winter break collaborating with Inkululeko colleagues in South Africa and the United States to build curriculum from the ground up for a business skills program designed to support youth in Makhanda, South Africa. Inkululeko is a nonprofit organization that works with Makhanda youth to support their personal goals to attain a high school degree, pursue university, or equip themselves to competitively enter the workforce. The organization was awarded a grant from the U.S. Consulate in Cape Town to develop a business skills program infused with principles of the green economy for middle and high school learners. As part of this initiative, Americans collaborated with South Africans to build the curriculum. Khan’s role was to assist in designing a curriculum and learning outcomes that aligned with the grant priority areas and be culturally relevant for teen learners in the Eastern Cape Province.

“Having Gabe join us at Inkululeko was a true pleasure,” said Jason Torreano, CEO. “He ensured the work he was doing would be useful and engaging to our learners and highly relevant for the topic at hand. We could not have asked for a better, more thoughtful partner in building out this curriculum.”

South Africa has one of the world’s highest unemployment rates and the situation is particularly dire among youth. In 2022, it remained stubbornly high at more than 60%. In June, President Cyril Ramaphosa said at a Youth Day event that youth unemployment remains a key priority for his administration and acknowledged that while the government has made some inroads in quality of life issues post-apartheid, that lack of opportunities for youth continues to be highly problematic. Khan’s participation in this effort aligns with the mission to disrupt this cycle.