Rwanda women reap what Gauteng embroidery project sewed
An empowerment drive in the Winterveld has won international acclaim and now helps unemployed elsewhere on the continent generate an income
A remarkable story has emerged from an area hit by high unemployment — the Winterveld, Gauteng — where members of the Soroptimist International Pretoria Club trained a group of women in the early ’90s in an income-generating empowerment project. The Sisters of Mercy provided a classroom and an embroidery project for the women of Mapula that started with 14 women, evolving through the years and growing to include 150 women, guided and supported by experienced individuals. In a unique storytelling fashion, with needle and thread, these women have been sharing their stories over the past 26 years. And it is often these personal remembrances capturing SA’s past from a unique vantage point that has captured the imagination internationally. Over the years, the high levels of technical and visual artistry with social and historical commentary have resulted in recognised works of art. Their ideas are generated from lived realities, local magazines, newspapers, the internet and television. A...
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