Start of Week 2 - Women Income Generation Project
The second week started with a day at Etafeni again. We attended again a very interesting lecture by Varkey George about challenges of the world and the role of the public and the private sector. But the other thing we learned was that the South African winter is very cold and because there is no heater in the lecture room, we were all freezing. That is why we decided to buy a heater and to donate them to Etafeni at the end of our stay.
This week I want to present every day another of the five student projects to you:
Women Income Generation Project
In the photo above you can see (from the left to right side) Karina, Mother Teresa Lumani - the project manger, Theresa, Reihan and Niklas working together. The Women Income Generation Project is one of Etafenis oldest projects. The project runs since 2002. This project aims to provide the HIV+ women with more possibilities for their working future. Some of the women children's attend the pre-school at Etafeni. This includes to educate them in craft activities which they can use in their future careers. Moreover, an essential part is to give them a greater sense of self-worthiness, the provision of nutrition, support and therapy which helps them to live a better life. (http://www.etafeni.org/portfolio/income-generation/)
For many women the program means a new chapter in life. Due to their illnesses and the stigmatization they face in their social environment most of them are desperate and discouraged looking ahead to their future. So beneath the actual training of skills, one of the main goals of the program is a psychological mentoring for the women in the training. This is necessary to get the women stabilized in order for them to be free to learn new content. The participants for the program are only women, who are HIV+ and live in the townships. To attend to the program regularly, another criteria is, that their homes must be within a walking distance to Etafeni. The third criteria is, that they are healthy enough to stand for two hours. The training programme for the women takes 12 month in total. Six months are spent intensively on their emotional stability and the training of their basic skills. They learn to do beadwork, to sew, smock and quilt. The additional six month they do more advanced things in handcrafts.
The project has several issues, such as the organisation of the work and a sustainable concept for the women who exit the program. One of their main issues are how to generate a more constant income in order to finance the program. Our student group tries within their 3-weeks-project at Etafeni to develop a marketing and sales strategy for the handmade products of the women.
Karina: "The project is very exciting for us, because we can use all our business knowledge and really create an value add for a social project. It is inspiring to work in such an environment and get to know these dedicated people."
If you are interested in supporting Etafeni and Mother Teresa you can see in this catalogue pictures of the products of them (prices may have changed) and send orders to kron@wiwi.uni-wuppertal.de
Varkey George: "The most important thing is to create thinkers for democracy."
This week I want to present every day another of the five student projects to you:
Women Income Generation Project
In the photo above you can see (from the left to right side) Karina, Mother Teresa Lumani - the project manger, Theresa, Reihan and Niklas working together. The Women Income Generation Project is one of Etafenis oldest projects. The project runs since 2002. This project aims to provide the HIV+ women with more possibilities for their working future. Some of the women children's attend the pre-school at Etafeni. This includes to educate them in craft activities which they can use in their future careers. Moreover, an essential part is to give them a greater sense of self-worthiness, the provision of nutrition, support and therapy which helps them to live a better life. (http://www.etafeni.org/portfolio/income-generation/)
For many women the program means a new chapter in life. Due to their illnesses and the stigmatization they face in their social environment most of them are desperate and discouraged looking ahead to their future. So beneath the actual training of skills, one of the main goals of the program is a psychological mentoring for the women in the training. This is necessary to get the women stabilized in order for them to be free to learn new content. The participants for the program are only women, who are HIV+ and live in the townships. To attend to the program regularly, another criteria is, that their homes must be within a walking distance to Etafeni. The third criteria is, that they are healthy enough to stand for two hours. The training programme for the women takes 12 month in total. Six months are spent intensively on their emotional stability and the training of their basic skills. They learn to do beadwork, to sew, smock and quilt. The additional six month they do more advanced things in handcrafts.
Women at work
Handcrafts produced
The project manager Mother Teresa
Mother Teresa:
"The women have never time for themselves. When women bead they are in their own world. It's not just beading, it's beading for their souls."
"This program stands for new beginnings. So by all this we want to represent this by using high quality fabric."
"I always look for the best for the women."
The project has several issues, such as the organisation of the work and a sustainable concept for the women who exit the program. One of their main issues are how to generate a more constant income in order to finance the program. Our student group tries within their 3-weeks-project at Etafeni to develop a marketing and sales strategy for the handmade products of the women.
Karina: "The project is very exciting for us, because we can use all our business knowledge and really create an value add for a social project. It is inspiring to work in such an environment and get to know these dedicated people."
If you are interested in supporting Etafeni and Mother Teresa you can see in this catalogue pictures of the products of them (prices may have changed) and send orders to kron@wiwi.uni-wuppertal.de
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