How Mac helps Fatima Hoosain on the Upswing of growing her NPO
Find out how Fatima Hoosain and her mom launched their non-profit organisation (NPO) ‘Upswing SA’ to uplift communities.
Sustainability is the cornerstone of our society. From living in harmony with nature to living in harmony with our fellow people - sharing a space to exchange skills we learn along the way helps foster a healthy and thriving sense of community.
Born from this drive to uplift communities and make a positive impact, Social Science student and co-founder Fatima Hoosain and her mom decided to start their non-profit organisation (NPO) Upswing SA.
To find out just how they pattern their initiative for change – I sat down with Fatima Hoosain to hear more about the inspiration behind their NPO and how they use Mac products with their business day-to-day and management.
“I’m the co-founder of Upswing SA, which is a non-profit company that focuses on sustainable living and development,” Fatima shares.
“Essentially, what we do is we provide opportunities to empower women through workshops.”
These workshops cover a range of trades targeted to help upskill women in different communities so that they be equipped with the necessary tools and knowledge to start their own business while also emphasising the importance of sustainable production.
“These workshops teach physical skills like sewing, jewellery making, crafting, etc,” she explains.
“We only use sustainable, environmentally sustainable methods – so, we upcycle – where we take recycled materials to create something new. Our whole concept is built around reducing waste.”
As for what inspired the mother-daughter duo to embark on this NPO venture – it all came down to a teatime discussion where the pair spoke about their goals for the future.
Fatima goes on to explain how both she and her mother felt that in South Africa particularly there’s a focus predominantly on giving people hand-outs or donations, and not enough focus on skills sharing.
“There was a lot of focus on giving handouts and not really a focus on building up communities,” says Fatima. “And, so, we really wanted to do that – we wanted to bridge that gap within the community and my mom has always been a very strong advocate for environmental awareness.”
It was Fatima’s mom’s passion for sustainability that ensured that no matter what their joint venture ended up being – it would have sustainability woven into its business fabric.
“She [my mom] was very, very firm in saying, ‘Whatever we do, I don’t want it to produce more waste,’,” recalls Fatima fondly. “We sat and came up with ideas on how we could fundraise, and also, just get things going.”
“So, we started a thrift store – and that then later resulted in sewing workshops.”
As for running an NPO – it takes a lot of self-discipline, management, and organising – made seamless and waste-conscious with the sleek aid of Apple devices.
“I do a lot of the background digital work – I’m currently busy updating our website – so, that takes up a lot of my time. I’m also a student – so I’m juggling the two,” explains Fatima. “So, the digital work can range from creating social media content to updating the website to coming up with new projects that we can work on.”
Managing the digital side of a business is no small feat and can be a lot to sift through – especially regarding marketing and online brand marketing. Thankfully, Fatima and her mom put their trust in the more than capable hands of Apple tech.
“I’ve got my trusty iPhone – which is my go-to for when I need to do quick little designs and content creation for our social media. That’s like the biggest blessing that we’ve had so far – because I’ve been able to really create quality content,” she enthuses.
Beyond her iPhone, Fatima also finds support in her MacBook and iPad which is a saving grace for working and syncing her work while on the go as both a student and an NPO owner.
“I’ve also got my MacBook, which I use religiously with web designing and things like that and I’ve got my iPad as well which helps me on the go – when I don’t feel like taking my MacBook out,” Fatima shares.
Paired with her iPad, Fatima also invested in the Apple pencil to help her work on her designs with ease and a traditional art feel – with a more reusable sustainable edge.
“For more complex designs, I’ve got the pencil, so it helps to really get those finer details into whatever I’m doing – especially with design work,” she says.
Another feature Fatima is grateful for when creating content is the design aspects of Apple devices…
“There’s also the quality of the camera and screens – you know, so many different design aspects that help you create better artwork,” enthuses Fatima.
Beyond the physical devices themselves, Fatima is also grateful for the Apple ecosystem – especially when working across the different devices.
“I think the biggest thing is the ecosystem – the fact that everything syncs seamlessly, and I don’t have to worry about, ‘Oh, this is on my MacBook or ‘Oh, this is on my iPad’,” Fatima explains.
“The iCloud is connected and if I need something, I have it on my iPhone or I have it on my MacBook or I have it on my iPad – and it’s just, like, probably the best thing. So, that’s my favourite thing.”
Working across multiple Apple devices means needing a sound and reliable touch base – this is where iStore’s customer service shines for the NPO.
“My experience with the iStore service has always been great,” explains Fatima. “I’ve been there a few times. My MacBook had a problem at some point and I was just like, ‘This is my problem and I don’t know how to fix it’ – and I was freaking out because I had an assignment due, and the guy at iStore was super helpful.”
Fatima found value in the informed advice the iStore team gave her on how she could resolve her issue from home without additional costs first before coming back if the issue persists.
“They [iStore] told me, you know, exactly what I needed to do, gave me an at-home quick fix and said that if that doesn’t work, I can come back for a full fix at iStore,” she shares. “But they gave me support and informed me of my options and alternatives, which I really liked, instead of wasting my time. So, I really enjoyed that.”
Beyond the technical service assistance, Fatima finds the iStore customer service also useful when purchasing new Apple devices as she enjoys browsing the welcoming store space.
“Once you start getting Apple, it’s kind of like a done deal – you can’t really go back to anything else,” Fatima says with a lilt through the call.
As for Upswing SA and its future growth – Fatima and her mom are hopeful and eager to continue their business outreach and upliftment work to more communities.
“I would say our biggest goal for Upswing SA is to fully establish a more permanent workspace,” she explains. “We are currently running from a very small store in Rondebosch East and we don’t have the space to do what we fully want to do.”
This, she hopes, could be achieved through sourcing more funding possibilities as the pair presently fund the initiative themselves through thrift sales and upcycling.
“It’s carrying us through – but in order for us to fully do all the things we want to do and reach the people we want to reach – we need to look into more fundraising,” shares Fatima.
Fatima, who’s currently completing the third year of her Social Science degree, is hopeful to use what she learns through her course and pour it into her NPO work to help their NPO goals be reached.
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