Giraffe has been sponsored by the innovation fund of UNICEF and will use the funding to make young people in South Africa more employable.

Established in 2015, Giraffe is a mobile employment platform for South Africa that aims to reduce unemployment on emerging markets by making it easier for jobseekers to build CVs free of charge via cell phone. The platform also helps users to interact with their area’s related work opportunities.

The extra funding would help Giraff to develop a web platform for jobseekers that will then improve young people’s employability. It will encourage them to learn skills. The content of the platform is based on data from the extensive labor data market in Giraffe which shows the required skills.

Giraffe hopes that the approach will have more effect by closing the loop and coping with the gap in expertise that will bring more young people as employees. Giraffe will also use the funding of UNICEF to improve its matching algorithm, making all of it available to others worldwide.

Cecilia Chapiro, UNICEF Innovation Fund Investment and Portfolio Manager reports on the investment.

“The UNICEF Innovation Fund welcomes Giraffe to our portfolio of startups bridging learning and connectivity gaps towards employability,” said Cecilia Chapiro, Investment and Portfolio Adviser at UNICEF Innovation Fund.”

The immediate goal of Giraffe is to tackle the ongoing pandemic of Covid-19. In addition, the focus of the company’s activities is on mitigating the economic effects of the pandemic and the resulting job losses. UNICEF funding comes when job seekers need the most assistance. During this crucial time.

Giraffe CEO Anish Shivdasani reflects on the collaboration, “We are truly honoured to be working with UNICEF to evolve our job matching platform as we move into our next stage of growth. The education and employment of the youth- especially in Africa- are critical to ensure inclusive growth, reduce poverty and inequality, and pave the way towards a world that is more just for all.”

Concentrating on Work

In order to recognize and contact potential employees, Giraffe created a platform that links users to work openings using matching algorithm. All the applicants chosen are screened for the job and encouraged to send a voice note that motivates why they are appropriate for the role.

Employers who use the platform to find prospective candidates can conveniently use the available dashboard to access these motivational voice notes and pick the correct candidate to do the job. Giraffe has built a platform that effortlessly automates recruitment processes, saving both recruiters and job seekers time and allowing employers to find the best candidate quickly.

Giraffe focuses on entry and medium-skilled roles which are important to South African youth compared to other work portals.

Addressing Questions

The founders of Giraffe, Anish Shivdasani and Shafin Anwarsha- set up the business to combat the devastating youth unemployment crisis facing South Africa.

South Africa’s unemployment rates are about 40%, with youth unemployment about 50%. The long-term effects of high youth unemployment could lead to long-term poverty in future generations. The elimination of poverty and inequality therefore requires a resolution of youth unemployment.

While the unemployment problems in South Africa relate mainly to apartheid legacy and the low economic growth rate of the region, access to jobs and exposure are also important issues. Thus, Giraffe hopes to improve access to and visibility of jobs and opportunities through mobile technology and algorithms.

After its launch, Giraffe has been using the site to hire workers with more than one million job seekers, with thousands (both small and large).

The founders of Giraffe have however noted that the lack of education and skills is one of the main issues in youth employability. The additional investment would help the business fill the void and give South Africans the chance to work.