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Upskilling is a useful and necessary function of growth and development, and at grassroots level, it provides so much more than individual progression. In an effort to ensure our country and the many communities all South Africans live in continue to grow and thrive, Clover Mama Afrika is passionate about ensuring all their Clover Mama Afrikas receive the best upskilling every year, to uplift both themselves and their respective communities.
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 431 training sessions with over 2271 beneficiaries over the years, the benefits of upskilling can be clearly seen.
Upskilling remains vital to ensure growth in communities:
- It allows for job creation by learning new skills
- It allows for improvement of the skills already at hand
- It provides affordable and accessible services within communities
- It ensures you stay valuable
- It opens you up to various opportunities
- It allows you to meet inspiring people, and inspire others through what you do
A motto that is firmly believed in by Clover Mama Afrika is; ‘Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.’ So, by providing quality training to each and every Clover Mama Afrika every year, they are in turn able to upskill those in need and also provide valuable services to those in their communities.
“Our Clover Mama Afrikas are really wonderful, hard-working, kind, caring and determined individuals and the work that they put into their communities is really amazing. The members of their communities are so fortunate to have the mamas providing them with new skills and ensuring positive growth in the communities,” explains Prof Elain Vlok, Clover Manager, Clover Mama Afrika Trust.
Recently Prof Vlok visited Mama Engelina Molete’s bakery in Dobsonville, Gauteng, while baking training was taking place, where she was excited to see how fast they were learning. “This was a spot visit and they didn’t know that I was coming! I was so proud of the group that was being trained by Frans Strydom of Siyabonga Africa – they are such a happy bunch of bakers and they are doing so well,” says Prof Vlok.
Prof Vlok also visited Mama Phumla Goje’s bakery to evaluate their progress since she had her intensive bread baking beginners training during the first part of this year. On arrival at the bakery, Mama Phumla and fellow members welcomed Prof Vlok with singing and excitement. High profile visitors on the guest list that day included ANC Women’s League Members as well as a member from the Health Department.
“I was so overwhelmed at the warm welcome and it meant so much to me! Mama Phumla even organised the local television broadcasting company to attend the morning who interviewed us. She also invited local high-profile people to her centre and I was really impressed with her great community connections. I am very proud to see how she has worked and upgraded her bakery with a cement stoep and wall since joining Clover Mama Afrika,” says Prof Vlok.
Clover Mama Afrika continues to strive to upskill mamas in their communities, allowing them to share those skills with others living in their communities.