Former CPUT lecturer and social entrepreneur Marlon Parker has been honoured yet again for his ground-breaking work to empower communities.
He was named the national Lead SA Hero of the Year, receiving a cash donation of R100 000 from the Dis-Chem Foundation for a charity of his choice.
Marlon is the founder of the Athlone-based Reconstructed Living Labs (RLabs). The initiative is a driver of community-driven innovation and reconstruction.
Its model includes establishing Youth Cafes in communities. To use the Youth Cafes, young people need to do good in their communities.
For every act of social good, they are awarded with virtual currency, known as Zlatos, which can be used to buy refreshments, attend empowerment courses, or even go to the local hairdresser.
The RLabs model has proven to be such a driver for change that it has already been adopted in 21 other countries.
From Brazil to Namibia, Tanzania, Nigeria and Somalia, the Rlabs model has incubated 22 social enterprises, and employs 80 people – most of them in Cape Town. More than four million people have accessed support services through Rlabs.
Parker shared the honour with Jenna Lowe, a tireless campaigner to get South Africans to register as Organ Donors through her novel birthday invitation known as getmeto21.com
By Jan Weintrob
