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Our Purpose

To empower the people raising the next generation

Our Vision

Eradicate poverty in South African Families

Our Mission

Equip aspiring entrepreneurs with the skills and resources needed to unlock their full potential and access the economy

Our Promise

Empowering South African families to escape the cycle of poverty

Our Values

Optimism • Sustainability • Collaboration • Excellence

  • 2010

    TCB opens its doors in Cape Town (originally called The Clothing Bank). 

  • 2012

    We open a branch in Paarl and start our Micro Franchise Accelerator Project. We win the Teach a Man to Fish Award and also start our journey with the A2B development methodology.

  • 2013

    We expand to Johannesburg and win the African Philanthropy Award: New Charity of the Year award. We start the Greenlight Movement (formerly Poverty Stoplight).

  • 2014

    We start the GROW Educare Centres programme. 

  • 2015

    We open our Durban and East London branches and purchase our first building in Cape Town. We start our Repair programme. Our Amazi Beauty Project is launched in partnership with Sorbet.

  • 2016

    Our co-founders receive the Schwab Social Entrepreneur of the Year Award. 

  • 2017

    We win the Western Cape Premier’s Award: Best Overall Business and Best Social Enterprise.

  • 2018

    We expand our GROW project to Durban and purchased our Durban property. We are also awarded an Ashoka Fellowship.

  • 2019

    Our Cape Town building is destroyed in a fire (rebuild completed in 2021). We expand our GROW Programme to Johannesburg

  • 2021

    We launch the GROW App. We also start our Remake programme and win the Mail & Guardian Greening the Future Award (category Waste Management Best Practice). Our Resell and Repair programme is listed in the international Acumen “100 Corporate Ready Social Enterprises” report.

  • 2022

    We launch our media-rich online ECD Curriculum and our ECD Small Business Accelerator programme. We also launch our Baby Curriculum for 1-2 year olds. We launch our first Graduate Accelerator and rebrand to TCB – Taking Care of Business.

  • 2023

    We expand our Remake programme in Cape Town. We launch the A2B Human Optimisation curriculum and our new Year 2 Business Booster programme.  Tracey Chambers and Tracey Gilmore, our TCB co-founders, received a Cape Town Civic Honours Award from the Mayor of Cape Town. We are awarded the Social Impact Award at the annual Twyg Sustainable Fashion Awards.

Our Programmes

Resell

Equipping unemployed mothers to become successful fashion traders within the circular economy.
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Repair

Equipping unemployed South Africans to run appliance repair and trading businesses, reducing e waste.
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Remake

Equipping seamstresses to run financially viable businesses.
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Redistribute

Donating merchandise and clothing to nonprofits that support the vulnerable.
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Reskill

Equipping other organisations, individuals and our graduates with skills to become financially independent.
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GROW Educare Centres

Equipping preschools to operate as sustainable businesses that deliver quality education in low income communities.
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Our footprint

We have 5 branches across South Africa with the capacity to support up to 1100 unemployed men and women  across our Resell, Repair and Remake programmes at any given time. Our GROW Educare Centres programme operates nationally, with offices in Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban.

Our awards

TCB – Taking Care of Business is internationally recognized for its work in enterprise development, the circular economy, job creation, entrepreneurship and supply chain waste management across South Africa.

2013

Pan African Award for Entrepreneurship in Education

2013

New Charity of the Year Award

2013

Ashoka Changemakers Award

2015

Western Cape Business Woman of the Year Award for Social Entrepreneurship

2016

Schwab Social Entrepreneur of the Year

2017

Western Cape Premier’s Entrepreneurship Recognition Award

2018

Ashoka Fellowship

2021

The Mail & Guardian Greening the Future Award winner Category: Waste Management Practice

2021

TCB is one of the Top 100 Corporate Ready Social Enterprises globally

2022

Tracey Chambers was awarded with the TIAW World of Difference Award

2023

Tracey Chambers & Tracey Gilmore (TCB co-founders) receive the City of Cape Town Mayor's Medal

2023

TCB is awarded the Social Impact Award at the annual Twyg Sustainable Fashion Awards.

BBBEE, Social-Economic Development & Enterprise Development, NPO and PBO status

As a Level 1 Qualifying Small Enterprise, TCB –Taking Care of Business is aligned to the spirit of the amended BBBEE Act. We can offer companies significant points on their BBBEE scorecard thanks to our focus on growing small, black-women-owned businesses and empowering the unemployed through skills development.

  • 100% unemployed South Africans
  • 100% black beneficiaries
  • 90% are black-women-owned businesses
  • < 50% are defined as youth

NPO number: 081-505-NPO

PBO number: 930032046

Impact Story: Nombulelo Magunya

“When I think back on my life before I join TCB it breaks my heart. In those days I used to share half a brown bread with my 2 kids, and we went to sleep early because I didn't have electricity for light. I didn't know how to budget at all! We had no savings. No planning. Now I'm so proud of myself. Since I start at TCB my life has been changing. Everybody at home now respects me. I make sure each and every week I save R2000 in Everybody at home now respects me. I make sure each and every week I save R2000 in my other bank account, because I now have a budget, and I have goals for myself. I am debt free!”

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TCB – Taking Care of Business is a non-profit company that equips aspiring entrepreneurs with the skills and resources they need to unlock their full potential and access the economy. 

NPO number: 081-505-NPO |  PBO number: 930032046

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