Cape Town International Airport employs local youth to operate new Goodbye Malaria outlet

Cape Town International Airport has opened a retail outlet at the airport’s domestic departures area that sells unique African merchandise, as part of the Goodbye Malaria initiative.
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Each piece of merchandise sold carries a Goodbye Malaria tag with a message that details how to prevent and treat malaria, still the biggest killer in Africa.

Goodbye Malaria is a non-profit initiative started by African entrepreneurs that raises funds that go directly to support on-the-ground malaria elimination programmes in Mozambique, spraying houses to protect families from contracting malaria. The initiative also seeks to inspire people to join the fight against malaria by educating them about the possibility of total elimination of the disease.  

For the outlet at Cape Town International Airport, five young people were employed as manager, assistant manager and sales staff as part of the Goodbye Malaria youth employment initiative. Throughout their employment at GBM, the team will be up-skilled, trained and developed in sales, merchandising, retail, customer engagement and presentation skills, which will allow them to find new employment opportunities. The outlets sell locally made and branded clothing, bags, slippers, teddy bears, caps and more. With each sale, the team interacts with travellers at the airport and informs them about malaria, which is both preventable and treatable.

Airports Company South Africa began its partnership with Goodbye Malaria in 2016 with the opening of a retail outlet at O. R. Tambo International Airport. George Airport in the Western Cape has also recently opened a GBM retail outlet.

Says Deon Cloete, General Manager of Cape Town International Airport: “We are very pleased with the launch of our Goodbye Malaria retail pod. We are especially pleased to have brought in young people from the community around the airport.

“The young people working for Goodbye Malaria come from Blikkiesdorp, Freedom Farm, Malawi Camp, Delft and Elsiesrivier. The majority of these youths have not had employment opportunities or formal workplace experience before.”