The Youth Employment Service (YES) and Exemplar REITail have come together and created ‘home-sewn’ face masks to be delivered to vulnerable township communities across South Africa. “We are proud of this partnership and the contribution to the protection of these communities while supporting and stimulating township economies during this very difficult time,” said Dr Tashmia Ismail-Saville, YES Chief Executive.
On the other hand, Jason McCormick, CEO of Exemplar said “As we navigate this pandemic, we are doing everything in our power to protect our communities. #MasksforGood is just another of the many steps we have already taken to protect those that don’t necessarily have the means to protect themselves,” said Jason McCormick, CEO of Exemplar. #MasksforGood is an awareness campaign being rolled out nationally to encourage as many South Africans as possible to “#maskup”.
The initial rollout of masks is being funded exclusively by personal donations from Exemplar staff and senior management. The first 20,000 masks are anticipated to be distributed by mid-April and thereafter a campaign will be driven via crowdfunding as the initiative is rolled out to other townships and rural areas.
Alex Mall situated in Gauteng will be the pilot project for the distribution of masks to the different communities. The partnership also aims to empower and help Alex-based seamstresses to earn an income through the making of these masks. Each participating seamstress is being supplied with 50m of medical-grade cotton fabric, a pattern and instructions on how to sew the masks. Using only a pair of scissors and a sewing machine, they will be able to sew in excess of 1000 masks each.
Exemplar will then buy the completed masks back directly from these township entrepreneurs, helping stimulate the local economies within which they operate. The reusable, washable masks (with care instructions) will then be distributed to the vulnerable communities surrounding the various #MasksforGood initiatives countrywide.
