Fri Sep 22 07:41:00 UTC 2017
A group of 25 local seamstresses have spent the past 2 months sewing close to 400 items of clothing for donation to impoverished children in Nyanga.
The clothing items were given to the children at the Etafeni Day Care Centre's Heritage Day celebrations today (22 September 2017).
- Theresa Lumami, Manager of the Women’s Wellness and Economic Programme at Etafeni.
“Some months back, we were contacted by quick service restaurant Hungry Lion, who wished to donate excess staff uniforms and support our skills development work. They supported a number of seamstresses who upcycled the uniforms into play clothes. The items produced were given to children from Etafeni’s Early Childhood Development Centre and a number of other crèches in the area.”
The children arrived in traditional dress for the Heritage Day celebrations and enjoyed the attention of a number of gogos who came to share stories with them.
“I loved today,” said Awanga Bakula, 5 years old, who attended the celebrations. “I loved the story the gogo told us about the lion and I loved eating the ice cream we got from Hungry Lion.”
“This was a special project for the Hungry Lion team,” says Tashalene Reid, Brand Marketing Manager for Hungry Lion. “Our relationship with Etafeni started earlier this year when we donated equipment and seeds for their food gardens. As a business, we’re committed to uplifting local communities, skills development and hunger relief. The more we work with Etafeni, the more we learn about the challenges facing local communities and the more determined we are to contribute to making a difference. It’s great to see a project like this come to fruition.”
“I am so excited to show my mom my new dress,” a 6 year old said. “This is the first time I will have my own dress that wasn’t from my big sister.”
- Thobeka Yamile
Etafeni’s Womens Wellness and Economic Empowerment Programme exists to restore dignity and hope to destitute, unemployed HIV/AIDS infected and affected women/mothers/caregivers, firstly by helping them to become healthy and to stay healthy, and then by empowering them to earn an income and achieve self-sustainability through skills development. Women earn a monthly stipend and are fed a daily meal while they are taught how to sew over a six month period.
