Sponsor a Woman's Sewing Training in South Africa

Dear Supporters,

Women make up 51% of the total population in South Africa but are underrepresented when it comes to positions of authority and power. Gender equality is part of the constitution, which advocates for half of all decision-making positions to be held by women but nothing is actively being done to meet this target. When it comes to leading powerful companies, only one business out of the top 40 JSE (Johannesburg Stock Exchange) listed enterprises has a female CEO. With this in mind, GVI has been working towards creating a certified computer course which is in line with SETA (Sector Education and Training Authority).

SETA is a vocational skills training organisation in South Africa which was established to manage skills development needs and is recognised by the SAQA (South African Qualification Authority). Our volunteers have developed a new, advanced computer course as well as a comprehensive ‘learner workbook’ which participants must submit as their final piece alongside a practical assessment and reflection paper. The computer classes are run by the volunteers on a one-to- one basis in thirty minute incriminates, this allows the women to complete the course at their own pace. The participants will learn how to change the configuration of a PC, how to format a disk, how to manage a computer operating systems functions and much more. These are initiatives which would not be possible without the generous donations from our supporters.

As the global economy continues to recover, we are seeing widening inequalities and not enough jobs to keep up with the growing labour force. The International Labour Organization found that more than 204 million people were unemployed in 2015 putting South Africa in the bottom ten countries in the world for employment. In relation to these figures, the purpose of our Women’s Empowerment programme is to promote sustained economic growth and high levels of productivity (this being technology focused) in the community. Since the beginning of the year, participate increase at Women’s Empowerment has soared from 4 in the first week of January to 87 by the end of the month. Volunteers have worked tirelessly to assist as many women as possible and set a record with 37 women being reached in one day. The greatest achievement we have had this month is seeing 7 women secure jobs with a local business due to their newly developed computer based skills. The owner of the business approached GVI looking for computer trained individuals and we were then able to facilitate the women applying for job roles. This really is excellent news knowing that our projects are reaching the attention of all members of the community and that the work we are doing is in high-demand. We continue to encourage job creation as well as entrepreneurship as the women leave our workshops not only with a new set of skills but with the confidence to go out and better their own situation.
Finally, GVI Cape Town, and the women in the community, want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has donated for our cause and who continuously supports the women in breaking the cycle of poverty and improve their lives as well as their families.

It would honestly not be possible without your generosity!

With Gratitude, 

GVI Womans Empowerment