Paradigm Shift

Paradigm Shift ignites the church to transform South Africa's entrepreneurial poor.

Paradigm Shift works alongside churches to develop a more effective, sustainable way to reach the poor in their communities. We believe that a more sustainable approach to poverty alleviation creates empowerment rather than dependency. And so we help community and faith-based organizations move beyond giving handouts to creating lasting change in the lives of the poor.

How do we do that? By helping them to develop entrepreneurship. We provide training, coaching, resources and materials to partner churches so that they can implement the Paradigm Shift entrepreneurship development program in their communities. The program specifically targets individuals who turn to entrepreneurship as a way out of poverty (microentrepreneurs). It aims to help these microentrepreneurs grow their businesses beyond subsistence by providing them with:

When combined, these four components provide a holistic approach that tackles poverty at the root and eliminates it for good.