Entrepreneurship seminar held at Miriam Makeba Centre for Girls for women

Yvonne Chaka Chaka urges women to unite through the Makeba Centre for Girls and create social support networks aimed at dealing with poverty and unemployment.

November 30, 2022

Sphiwe Masilela 1 minute read

Yvonne Chaka Chaka pays tribute to the late Miriam Makeba as her 14-year commemoration was held at the Centre for Girls. Photo: Sphiwe Masilela

Miriam Makeba Centre for Girls in partnership with Meals on Wheels and Lead Afrika held an agricultural training seminar.

About 60 people attended the seminar on November 9 which was aimed to empower unemployed locals, especially women, to start food gardens to help them fight poverty within their communities and ensure food security. The life of Makeba was also commemorated.

Miriam Makeba Centre for Girls chairperson Thato Mokhothu welcomes the guests to the centre’s agricultural seminar. Photo: Sphiwe Masilela

Makeba or Mama Africa as she was affectionately known, died of a heart attack during a 2008 concert in Italy on November 9 aged 76. Makeba founded the Miriam Makeba Centre for Girls in 2001 to provide a home for destitute and abused girls between the ages of 11 and 18. However, in 2018 it was closed down by the Department of Social Development due to mismanagement by the previous board.

Executive director of Lead Afrika Tshiamo Dichabe. Photo: Sphiwe Masilela

Centre chairperson Thato Mokhothu said they were grateful to Lead Afrika and Meals on Wheels for running the seminar to ensure that the centre’s food gardens started to function again. “We want to make sure that at least next year, the centre is fully functional. I cannot do all this alone, and as the centre, we are grateful to the help we get from Meals on Wheels and Lead Afrika for the huge role they’re playing in helping revive Mama Africa’s legacy,” said Mokhothu.

Young food entrepreneurs Lucia Lekgoathi, Eunice Lubisi and Celiwe Maphanga take notes at the agricultural seminar. Photo: Sphiwe Masilela

Meals on Wheels CFO Effort Bhebhe said it was important to introduce women, especially young girls, to farming. “One of our objectives is food security and skilled development through poverty alleviation. I am happy with the attendance of the local residents who heeded the call to help us revamp the garden site of the centre,” said Bhebhe.

Tshiamo Dichabe, Lead Afrika’s executive director said, “The beneficiaries will undergo eight weeks of short skills training on agricultural accredited crop production. They will also be taken through the actual process of crop production.”

The seminar was graced by Yvonne Chaka Chaka as the keynote speaker.

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