Support Women Learn a New Skill in South Africa

Hello!

This project is going to be a little different to the rest as we want to tell you about our new plans for the next steps of this project. While sewing is super important and we are training many women to sew, we feel it is not enough just to teach but we need to help them step up and create their own business. 

We had initially thought that as this project is so amazing and different that a corporate somewhere around the world would have wanted to take this project on as part of their CSR strategy and also provide virtual mentors to our graduating women but this has not happened and it is not our style to sit and wait so here comes phase 2 of our project! 

We have decided to set up a social enterprise business locally and the new model will be that 8 women join a 16 week program (Level 1) or an 8 week program (Level 2). Both programs will be taught 3 days a week in the morning, Level 1 will do 8 week learning followed by an examination and level 2 will do 4 weeks followed by an exam. Upon passing their exam 3-4 graduates will become course leaders and teach the next intake which makes this project sustainable and gives these women sewing and teaching experience and skills. The other 3-4 graduates will volunteer at the new social enterprise company where they will work on either making and selling school uniforms, running other training programs and/or making items for the business to sell. All funds from this will be re-invested back into the sewing project to cover rent, materials and other running costs and eventually raise enough funds so we can open a second centre in another local township. 

After the 16 weeks they will become an employee of the social enterprise business where everything they make and sell a percentage will be given to them in a wage and a percentage will be put into a savings pot, this saving pot will stay there until the indviduals have enough to purchase their own sewing machine and materials so they can go at it alone, at this point they will leave us and setup their own business and our team will help them find customers. 

This model we feel is going to change the way we work and take off the pressure for fundraising as well as also allow us to start putting donations and future profit into building more centres in other locations as well as setting up woodwork skill centres, catering skill centres and much more. It's a big plan and we are looking to kick off May 1st and funding permits. We will stage the implementation but we are confident on this new long term sustainable plan, we hope you will continue to be with us on this journey!

Thank You,

Ty