Last week I was in tears as I heard the good news that Ntombizodwa, one of our crafters\’ daughters in KwaZulu-Natal, passed her matric exams and will be going to study at the University of Zululand (Unizulu). It was tears of joy – as I shared hers and her mothers\’ excitement about taking the next step to find accommodation and complete registration. She has elected to study Logistics Management and I commended her saying it\’s a good choice.
As we finished our conversation, her mom thanked me for the support and encouragement I had always offered them during our site visits. I wondered if I had really done anything, besides share information about opportunities that are available, emphasizing the importance of education and encouraging her to study hard and be focused. Lack of access to information and market opportunities are part of the urban-rural divide and something we often take for granted. African Mamas Crafts helps support rural development by improving the lives and livelihoods of our crafters. Every generation should have the opportunity to go further than their parents and education is the great equalizer and the key to uplifting families and communities out of poverty. Societal change happens one family at a time. Ntombizodwa is the firstfruits of our work and we celebrate her success and progress. Click here to view some of our stepping stones on the journey to making education a priority.
On the 8th-10th March 2021, we took part in the 9th annual 1st virtual Proudly South African Buy Local Summit 2021. Preparing and participating in the virtual event was different, but we appreciated that we could connect online with South Africans in different parts of the world. We were particularly encouraged by the words captured in the above quote from the Honourable Tyrone Gunnie, First Secretary, SA High Commission, UK.
Watch this space as we get ready to celebrate Mothers\’ Day – in true South African style!
Till next month,
Nomaswazi Tinus
Founder & Director
African Mamas Crafts
This month’s article on ‘Stories from Home’ features Lungi Mantshontsho and her group of crafters from Mathawu Pottery in OR Tambo District, Eastern Cape. The OR Tambo District is named after the late Oliver Reginald Tambo and is home to the AmaMpondo (part of Xhosa speaking) people. It is also the birthplace of other well-known
Supporting rural development through crafts Mark Twain says that the secret to getting ahead is getting started. This was our year of getting started, the year that African Mamas Crafts was birthed. Having kick-started the process by taking care of the necessary registration paperwork, we embarked on a journey to find rural crafters to work with. What
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