By Phil Donnell | Funding Manager
At the end of every year Sinamandla hold their Self-help group (SHG) Awards which recognises and celebrates the success of SHG women and their groups around South Africa. There were dozens of submissions in various categories and two winners are shared for you to enjoy – a list of the main winners is as follows:
- SHG member of the Year: Mam’ S* of Siyaqhubeka SHG (formed by Umvoti AIDS Centre)
- SHG of the Year: Yibanathi SHG (formed by Umvoti AIDS Centre) and Thuthukani SHG (formed by Zimele).
- CLA of the Year: Sizanani CLA (formed by Zimele)
- Partner of the Year: Thandanani Children’s Foundation.
The winner of the SHG Member of the Year Award for 2015 is Mam’ S* (her full name is with-held). She is 35 years and is a member of Siyaqhubeka SHG, formed in 2013 in Dungamanzi in Umsinga, KZN, by Umvoti Aids Centre. After receiving training on income-generation activities in her group, she saw an opportunity for a food business in her community and started IDLANATHI (eat with us). She sells full meal plates with salads, fat cakes, fried chips, tea or coffee. Mam S* took her first business loan of R500 from her SHG to buy a 2 plate stove and a fried chips machine. Another loan of R600 bought a microwave and another of R800 was used for stock. In a good month she makes between R2,500–R3,000 after expenses; she uses R1000 to buy more stock, pays R300 towards rent, repays any loan to her group and the rest she uses or saves. She says "Having my own business has made a huge difference in my life and I no longer become stressed about where I am going to get money from".
One of the winners of the SHG of the Year Award for 2015 is Thuthukani SHG. This group is in Maswazini, near Winterton, KZN, and was formed in August 2009 by Zimele and it has 10 members. The group members are very hard-working and community-minded - they have started a home-based care project to help people who are sick at home and also started a project to assist orphans and vulnerable children in their community. To date the group has assisted 124 vulnerable children, has donated 81 food parcels to needy households, has assisted 10 households to access social grants, and has trained 33 children on how to do craft-work. The tribal authorities in Maswazini work closely with the Thuthukani SHG members to identify needy children in their community. In order to increase the amount of funds available for their community projects, the members opened their own guesthouse - they built a suitable house on land owned by a group member and provide accommodation and meals to tourists or visitors to the area. SHG members from groups in Mtubatuba visited Thuthukani SHG during 2015 to learn how to run a guesthouse. The profit from the guesthouse and from their craft work is used to fund their projects.
Many thanks for your interest in and support of Sinamandla and it’s work with women in SHGs. Please do consider a donation to support our work in 2016.
You can subscribe to our monthly E-newsletter via the Sinamandla website, like us on Facebook at sinamandlaselfhelpgroup or follow us on Twitter @sinamandlashg. Our SHG book, “Moving ourselves out of poverty”, is available for $30.00 including postage – to order directly from Sinamandla email info@sinamandla.org.za.
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