Cikizwa, the principal in our first sewing co-op
Cikizwa, the principal in our first sewing co-op
Zukiswa, part of our first sewing co-op, doing some
cutting from a pattern.
The little girl is Zukiswa's sister, Yonela.
Cikizwa and Nolubabalo displaying their work at
their first sale, Children's Day, Uitenhage, November 5th, 2005.
Nolubabalo, Zukiswa's sister, was part of the same sewing co-op.
The Harry Potter duvet sets might still be available, if anyone is interested.
Mxolisi (Max) and Bongani at the Grand Opening of
the first ice cream business (Bongani started the 2nd one).
Max and Bongani are two of the three Sinzio directors in Kwa Nobuhle.
R1.50 is the equivalent of about 30¢.
Sylvia, who started a knitting business, with her
niece.
Barbie (left) and Akhona at Jeffrey's Bay, where they went to buy some clothing for
resale in Kwa Nobuhle.
Barbie with her little boy, Lehle.
Trevor and Khaya; Khaya is Sinzio's third director.
Mrs. Mtshotana, who deep fries fish scraps and sells them in her neighborhood,
as well as popcorn.
She also buys biscuits (cookies), and other snacks to resell.
After years of promises and waiting, Sis. Mtshotana's house is finally under
construction. It is difficult to see how big it is in this picture, but it
is probably the same size as the other government-built houses - about 800 sq
ft. The boy and girl are Melikhaya (Joseph) and Nomatamsanqa, her two
younger children. Thanks to the Golds for sending us this picture (July,
2006).
Mxolisi (Samuel) Matebese with his sister's children and grandchild, and two or
three of the neighbor children.
(We were never quite sure who belonged to who and what the relationship was.
)
This shack is sitting squarely in the middle of a road and one of these days
must be moved to the right about 13 metres.
This entire family lives on the equivalent of about $300 per month (child
allowances), plus whatever Mr. Matebese can earn.
Mxolisi Matebese with three of the children.
We tried to improve Mxolisi's chances for employment by starting him on the path
to acquiring a driver's license,
but realized that the odds are stacked against him, partly because of his age,
and partly because the system of awarding driver's licenses is corrupt.
We are looking for something else that is viable. He is a hard worker and
is willing to do anything honest that will give him an income.
Lydia and family. Lydia has a sewing business, and is also a cook at
"Coffee, Etc.",
one of Uitenhage's better places to eat. She lives in Rosedale, a colored
township in Uitenhage.
Gwendolyn with her daughter Rosae (right) and her niece, Benedicta, for whom she
is the primary caregiver.
Gwendolyn has a sewing business but has had difficulty pursuing it because she
has been battling recurring cancer for a few years.
Mrs. Jafta's new house under construction.
She pursues her sewing business in her shack behind the house, and is looking
forward to having some space in which to sew.
Eight people will live in this house when it is finished. (So where will
the space be, you ask. Good question.)
Without the income from the sewing business, they live on about $200 per month,
which is her monthly pension.
Mrs. Jafta's finished house; Mrs. Jafta is standing with Mrs. Magoffin (thanks
to the Magoffins for sending this picture, July, 2006)
enkosi kakhulu ('thank you very much' in the Xhosa language)