In a country where unemployment is a struggle for many, the upskilling of individuals is vital, not only for those being upskilled to learn and to prosper, but also for those who then benefit from these newly learned skills.
Clover Mama Afrika is a sustainable Corporate Social Investment project that has been in existence since 2004. The project selects ‘mamas’ from across the country and upskills both these mamas and their staff. Thus far, the project has hosted 397 training sessions with over 2182 beneficiaries over the years, in order to upskill mamas and their staff all across the country.
The selection process of these mamas is very stringent and Clover Mama Afrika doesn’t accept just any person to be one of their mamas. Only committed individuals who already have their own projects running are found and those who are willing to go the distance and develop themselves. A lot of hard work and dedication goes into being a mama and bettering themselves in order to better those around them.
Communities benefit from these strong mamas who are trained regularly by Clover Mama Afrika, so as to ensure they keep learning new skills as well as refreshing the skills that they currently have, to continue to make a difference and continue to be the pillars of strength and motivation in their communities. These mamas make a visible difference in their communities and ensure they impart their skills and knowledge onto those around them.
Through the help of Clover Mama Afrika, they are able to build up their confidence and expand their operations or start new ventures they otherwise wouldn’t have been able to without the support and training from Clover Mama Afrika.
As an example of the projects’ success, Clover Mama Afrika currently monitors the following self-help projects:
- 23 Sewing centres
- 14 Quilting centres
- 23 Cooking & baking centres
- 23 Siyabonga bread baking centres
- 17 Food gardens centres
- 9 Beadwork centres
- 14 Crocheting / Knitting centres
- 11 Flower Arranging centres
- 1 Pottery centre
- 4 Hairdressing centres
- 5 Egg Laying / poultry project centres
The above projects collectively provides permanent employment to over 320 community members.
Added value skills:
- 20 Art centres
- 5 Welding centres
- 10 Mosaic centres
- 5 New Earth Pottery project centres
Mama Mary Lwate, from Winterveld in Gauteng, joined Clover Mama Afrika in November 2008. She runs Good Hope Community Organisation where she has 150 children in her care, including a bakery that services the community.
“Joining Clover Mama Afrika enables us to improve on all skills and empower members to generate more income. We are thankful for this opportunity,” says Mama Mary Lwate.
Clover Mama Afrika provided her with baking equipment and expanded her bakery building. They were also supplied with new machines for their sewing project as well as training.
“I helped other women with my skills that I learned from Clover Mama Afrika, so that they too can put food on their tables. Many of the bakers that were trained by Clover Mama Afrika have gone to work at other bigger bakeries,” she says.
“There is no time to waste – every day brings new opportunities!” says Mama Doris Ndingane. She joined Clover Mama Afrika in June 2007 and runs the Zanempilo Projects in Keiskammahoek in the Eastern Cape. She has 14 boys and 16 girls (one to five years old) in her care and 250 outreach programmes.
One of the valuable skills that Mama Doris gained and implemented saw her creating her own chicken egg-laying project. From having 100 egg-laying chickens she now has 300 and collects a minimum of 285 eggs that are sold daily. “It is unbelievable! No one bakes scones like me, I do not use ready mixed ingredients either, but fresh products. Other added value skills I received from Clover Mama Afrika, such as flower arranging and mosaic is used when I have an event at my church,” she explains.
“Our mamas really work hard and put their heart and soul into everything that they do. They are willing and eager to learn and grow their centres and projects. Their communities are really blessed to have such strong individuals providing them with valuable skills. Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime- this is the motto we work by, explains Prof Elain Vlok, Corporate services Manager at Clover.
Clover Mama Afrika continues to strive to upskill mamas in their communities, allowing them to share those skills with others living in their communities.
South Africa Today – Charity Charity assist campaign
Email: southafricatodaycharity[at]gmail.com
