Fund Sewing Skills for Women in South Africa

Dear Supporters,

We’re thrilled to share the latest update from our Women Empowerment sewing program in South Africa, where incredible progress is being made thanks to your ongoing support.

Dorcas, our dedicated teacher and community leader, has been busy steering the program into its next phase. Recently, we welcomed four business students from Ohio State’s Fisher School of Business for two weeks. They worked closely with our team to help us build a sustainable, nonprofit business model that will allow our graduates to earn a fair commission on the items they make and sell.

After completing their sewing training, our graduates now have a real pathway to income through this enterprise. Currently, we produce winter and summer school uniforms for one primary school. With the help of the students, we’re ready to expand to other schools in the community. We’ve also launched a courier service to sell our handmade products overseas and are reaching out to corporate clients interested in branded, locally crafted corporate gifts — like the laptop sleeve pictured above.

In addition, pop-up market stalls and local boutique partnerships are in the works to ensure our products get into the hands of customers throughout South Africa. This is a significant step toward providing unemployed women with skills and viable opportunities to support their families after graduation.

On July 1st, we’re excited to welcome 8 new women for an 8-week course. However, we do face some immediate challenges. Early rains have caused flooding in our training room, leading to canceled classes and an urgent need to repair the roof. The estimated cost is $2,213.46 — a sum far beyond our current budget — which may impact our program through the wet and winter months.

We also need support to cover sewing staff salaries, rent, and $300 in materials for upcoming classes.

Looking ahead, GlobalGiving’s Bonus Day on July 17 offers a fantastic opportunity to help us raise these urgent funds. Donations made on that day will be matched up to 30%, so your gift can go even further. If you’re able to donate, we would be deeply grateful. But if not, you can still help us greatly by sharing our program with your friends and family. We’re confident that if we all come together, we can get back on track and keep empowering these amazing women.

Thank you for your generosity and belief in our work.