Woza Moya opens store in Kloof

WOZA MOYA, the craft shop forming part of the Hillcrest Aids Centre Trust (HACT), is opening a brand-new store at the Fields Hill Shopping Centre on October 22.

Executive manager Paula Thomson says the organisation is hard at work readying the space and stocking it with the colourful, creative products they are well known for.

This will be the third Woza Moya offering, with the flagship store at HACT headquarters in Hillcrest and a satellite store in Windermere Centre in Durban.

Thomson says each store has its own personality, and the Fields Centre venue has a distinctive wallpaper, which has directed the décor. She says the new shop will not disappoint.

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According to Thomson, the two existing shops have already seen an influx of Christmas-decoration buyers, with the products destined for local and international recipients.

She says, “Christmas is very close to our hearts at HACT as it’s a message we can get behind. It’s about giving back with something beautiful and meaningful. Every decoration we sell is handmade by a crafter. During the Covid-19 pandemic, we designed a campaign around the Lifesaver Box. Each box contains either 27, 64 or 123 decorations, which are perfect for festive gifting.”

Woza Moya currently works with 1 500 crafters, and the organisation has intentionally created a ‘community’ of crafters. Thomson says the crafters collect beads from HACT every Friday, make the items in their homes and return the completed pieces the following week. A video, on the HACT You Tube channel, captures this process and introduces the public to individual decoration makers.

Woza Moya is the economic empowerment project of the NGO, and Candace Davidson, chief executive officer of HACT, is proud of their success. In addition to supporting crafters and artists, the craft shop, coffee shop, haberdashery, White Elephant and plant nursery on the Hillcrest premises allow for work experience and an internship programme to be offered for unemployed youth.

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Zama Dlamini, the current shopkeeper at the Hillcrest Woza Moya store, will be heading up the new Fields Centre shop. Dlamini was part of HACT’s internship programme. This allows for the gap she is leaving to be filled by a promising graduate of the YES Programme.

Davidson says, “That movement leaves a space for someone else to fill. Our work programme participants learn both hard and soft skills. Some of our workplace interns have been employed by local businesses. We are passionate about giving as many young people as possible an opportunity to learn and flourish.”

Thomson says there were several occasions in the previous three tumultuous years when it felt like the craft shop might not survive.

“There were times when we thought we wouldn’t make it, but we have been supported by the entire Highway community, who bought items from us. We try to have new products all the time for our loyal customers, and we try to give them the best possible service we can,” says Thomson.

Davidson said the organisation was grateful for Thomson’s vision. When Thomson joined the organisation 20 years ago, she started with two buckets of beaded Aids ribbons and transformed the beaded artwork into a thriving enterprise of multiple shops, stocked with exciting, unique products.

Shop 13, Fields Hill Shopping Centre, will be open from Monday to Friday 08:30 to 17:00 and Saturdays 08:30 to 14:00.

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