Putting rural areas on the equality map, while empowering women to create meaningful change in their communities, is just another way of giving back.
And that’s exactly what Kouga Wind Farm did with its six-month Rainmakers Development Programme, which allowed both the farm and a group of resilient women to ensure that, together, they could make a significant difference.
The structured course saw the women meet weekly to brainstorm, debate, review case studies and engage in practical work to equip them for the challenge of uplifting their communities through various projects.
Rainmakers had groups running in Kruisfontein, Sea Vista, KwaNomzamo and Umzamowethu, with participants starting off by learning more about themselves.
From there, the focus moved to taking participants on learning visits to places like the Mawethu sewing and multipurpose cooperative, Ubuntu Pathways, where the focus was on HIV awareness and working with orphans, and an aquaponic gardening seminar at Nelson Mandela University’s Missionvale Campus.
Each of the visits had a specific purpose – to equip women with skills they could use to set up their own businesses and potentially offer employment to other women in their community.
Explaining what she had gained from the experience, Sea Vista’s Nozuko Ntshona said she had learnt about being resilient, what it takes to be a good leader and how to conduct herself in the business world.