During the past few months, the Clover Mama Afrika team have not let anything get in their way or slow them down! They have continued with training and upskilling courses with safety in mind, for Clover Mama Afrikas across the country despite pandemic waves. And now they’ve added to their family, with the 54th Clover Mama Afrika appointment!
Clover Mama Afrika, Clover’s corporate sustainability initiative, is a community-led approach aimed at reducing poverty in neighbourhoods by empowering women and those around them to empower the generation that comes after them. And with the project running successfully since 2004 and hosting 440 training sessions with over 2313 beneficiaries over the years, the benefits of upskilling can be clearly seen. Officially, 48 Mamas have been appointed, but over the years, additional Mamas have been appointed as successors, which makes the new official total, 54 appointed Mamas across South Africa!
Newest Clover Mama Afrika, KZN’s Mama Feziwe started her centre, House-Kids Educare Centre in 2010 situated in Ezimbokodweni in KZN, when she was part of a church community project and saw far too many children under the age of four who were left unattended. “Seeing these children touched me and I started a childcare centre to give kids a safe shelter and the nurturing that they deserve,” she explains. She now cares for 357 children between the age of three months and seven years-old at the centre. Her outreach programme also includes caring for 30 elderly members.
Mama Feziwe is a true positive role model and inspiration; she is married to a pastor and being a pastor’s wife means taking care of a whole community. She became the chairperson of the Umbumbulu ECD Association with 55 members that she manages (ladies – young and old) and is the secretary of Umbumbulu NPO Forum with an additional 99 members under her care.
“We are so excited and blessed to have Mama Feziwe as part of the Clover Mama Afrika. She is so passionate about her community and the work that she puts into her centre and it has been wonderful to already have her join some of our training and upskilling courses this past month too! Mama Feziwe is a force to be reckoned with!” says Prof Elain Vlok, Clover Manager, Clover Mama Afrika Trust.
Over the past years of Clover Mama Africa have appointed many new and successful Clover Mama Afrika’s and the team always work hard to be the best and provide the best training and upskilling to each and every Clover Mama Afrika.
Let’s look at some of their measures of success:
Clover Mama Afrika has a strong infra-structure and never deviated from its core objective to provide sustainability;
Clover Mama Afrika has become an exemplary corporate social investment project over the past 17 years – it has set a benchmark;
Clover Mama Afrika is one of the most awarded CSI projects in South Africa with over 20 prestigious awards won;
Two dedicated personnel monitoring and evaluating 141 income generating projects.
Among all the 54 Clover Mama Afrika’s there are many centres that are providing to various communities:
Sewing – 23 centres
Quilting – 13 centres
Cooking & baking – 22 centres
Siyabonga bread baking – 22 centres
Food gardens – 18 centres
Beadwork – 9 centres
Crocheting / Knitting – 12 centres
Flower Arranging – 12 centres
Pottery – 1 centre
Hairdressing – 5 centres
Egg Laying / poultry project – 5 centres
Clover Mama Afrika continues to strive to upskill mamas in their communities, allowing them to share those skills with others living in their communities.
