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Women stitch together plan of hope

Five ladies from the Somerset Park based NPO, the Qalakahle Women's Club, plan to sew and send underwear to underprivileged communities in the aim of combating the high rape statistics.

A SOMERSET Park woman, Dora Nkwanyana, is doing her bit to help the less fortunate. Through her NPO – the Qalakahle Women’s Club – the retired businesswoman has not only fed community members and taught them various skills, but also recently turned her attention to the alarming rape statistics in South Africa.

“Every day a young woman or child is raped, and children are especially vulnerable. Often they only have one pair of underwear that they wear to school. Once they get home, they take it off and wash it for the next day. This is when they become vulnerable, as they play outside, exposing themselves to the men in the community,” said the concerned gogo.

Now she and four other ladies from the club’s sewing group hope to decrease the vulnerability of children by sewing and sending children underwear. “Nobody is talking about the underwear. Everyone is too concerned about getting the children school uniforms, but we need to address the issue. Little girls, especially, need to be taught to always wear underwear,” she added.

To fund their project the ladies plan to make and sell various items, including aprons, pillowcases, place-mats, table cloths, canvas paintings, vases, plates and African beer pots. They are appealing to local hotels, restaurants and bed-and-breakfast establishments to support their cause.

When asked what motivated her to start the NPO and her latest project, Nkwanyana said, “I grew up in rural Zululand. I am aware of the hardships faced by people who live in those communities. I enjoy helping people – even if I can only make a small positive change.”

Contact 082 496 3357.

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