Sponsor a Woman's Sewing Training in South Africa

Dear Supporters,

“When women are educated, their countries become stronger and more prosperous.” (Michelle Obama, 2016) 

Education is one of the most critical areas of empowerment for women and young girls here in South Africa. It is an area that reflects clear lines of discrimination between the sexes, as amongst children not attending school there are nearly twice as many girls as boys, as among illiterate adults there are twice as many women as there are men. 

By offering females in the communities the opportunity to access basic education programs, it is one of the most instrumental ways to give them greater power, to enable them to make genuine choices over the kinds of lives they ultimately wish to lead. 

This is something we strive to accomplish day in and day out, by providing women and young girls with the opportunity to gain key skills that will not only be beneficial to themselves, their families, their community, but also to enable them to increase their employability in higher profiled jobs, which will ultimately allow them to pass on the knowledge learnt to future generations.

This year we have had many highlights, which we are happy to share with you all. 

Over the past six months our team has taught 1215 one to one computer lessons, with 248 women having benefited from these lessons and an amazing 68 women have become fully certified in the South African Qualifications Authority endorsed course. Not only have we been able to branch out and develop new partnerships in the community, but we have been able to better support our program with additional educational resources and further extend our course to be as comprehensive as possible.

These successes would not have been possible without your support and it’s safe to say that not only us, but the community is grateful for the role your donations have played in helping them get that little bit closer to achieving their dreams. 

We continue to work hard at ensuring that the Women’s Empowerment program is not only sustainable but thriving, busy, prodactive, and always evolving to cater for the growing needs and interests of the community. 

At the end of the day we as individuals are always evolving, just as the community is a living breathing organism, ever changing and ever growing. We aim to make sure that we continue to reflect on our progress and make sure that we are fulfilling the direct needs of the community. 

This program empowers women to take control of their futures, to become leaders, movers, makers and shapers. Giving them the power to choose how they learn and the opportunity to support other like minded women on the course, as together we work to create a confident, powerful, educated and sustainable future. 

It is the women who make the program a success and it is with all your support that the success becomes visible for participants to take the reins in carving out a path for their community, to achieve more than they initially believe capable. 

“Learning gives creativity. Creativity leads to thinking. Thinking provides knowledge. Knowledge makes you great!” (Abdul Kalam, 2016)

We are proud to have your support in making dreams become reality and hope to have your continued support in the coming year! 

Thank you, on behalf of every single life you have impacted, no matter how big or small.

 ENKOSI! 

GVI Gordons Bay, Women's Empowerment 

Dear Supporters,

Having reached yet another quarter, we would like to take this opportunity to thank each one of you for all the support you have given over the past year. It is with your continued support and donations, that this program is such a success.

Your kindness and generosity have enabled us to continually strive for new ways to support women and girls from disadvantaged communities in South Africa, by teaching them new skills to develop and ignite positive change in not only their lives, within their families, but also within their community.

With your support we have been able to help women and girls in the community recognise the value of the work and skills they provide within their community and households. With your support we have been able to expand our impact in the community by developing new employability workshops, covering CV writing, interview skills and job searching. We have also been given the opportunity to enrol members of the community in our First Aid Course, where participants completed a 2-day course covering primary and secondary first aid skills and gain a certificate upon completion. The course is designed to pass on valuable skills to the community, which will be transferable in their daily lives and hopefully assist in gaining employment. This is a great certification for the women to add to their resume and is a very important skill to have, as access to immediate medical care can often be very difficult for some communities. Many of the women who participate in these courses are unemployed, but through the support you provide we can ensure that women participating in the courses receive full and effective participation in the movement for creating equal opportunities in all aspects of their lives.

Statistically 29.5% of women in South Africa are currently unemployed and earn up to 60% less than men. Our programs are aligned directly with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal number 5: Gender Equality, which is geared to making equip women with the skills necessary to take on leadership roles at all levels of their lives, whether it be in general decision making, politics, the economy or their public affairs. The difference made by this project can be measured not only in the increasing number of community members signing up, but also in certificates earned each week, proud smiles, confidence, and thank-yous received.

Having access to learning these skills, is invaluable in helping women secure jobs where such skills are needed. This year so far up to 60 women have completed the course and are endeavouring to use the endorsed certification to gain employment.

All the computers and first aid resources we use to make these achievements possible have been donated or purchased through the Trust's support, and of course, yours. So, thank you for doing your part in helping us make a difference to these women’s lives with the use of technology, information, communication and skill development, to promote the empowerment of women.

In the future we hope that more women from the community will join our team to make the program as sustainable and impactful as possible

Thank you, on behalf of every single life you have impacted, no matter how big or small. Or as we say here in South Africa, ENKOSI!

GVI Gordons Bay,

Women's Empowerment