THE Magic Bean Foundation is back at La Lucia Mall with a pop-up store stocked with trendy upcycled items such has bags, baskets and pot-plant holders.
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These items, made from plastic bags, are the livelihood for many women from underprivileged communities and also double up as a means of protecting the environment and ocean and rivers from plastic pollution.
The Magic Bean Foundation upskills these women from Umlazi G-Section and Mt Moriah near Phoenix, teaching them how to crochet and create usable items with plastic bags.
One of the ‘Gmagic’ women, Gabazile Dlamini, said she was upskilled by the foundation in 2016, and since then, life has changed for the better for her and her family.
“Things have improved for me and my family members. Being part of the programme has made it possible for me to food on the table. My children can go to school. I can pay bills. It has been a huge upliftment for me and my family,” she said.
“We have been at La Lucia Mall since February and are grateful to the mall for finding us space to trade. They have been very helpful to us,” she said.
Each woman is given an opportunity to manage the pop-up for a few days a week. This allows them to not only sell the products they make but to earn commission on whatever is sold for the day.
Shelly Stievenart, one of the founders of Magic Bean Foundation, explained that the commission structure was introduced so that the women are able to cover travel costs and make a little extra cash.
“The La Lucia Mall has been very accommodating and has just extended our stay by giving us another pop-up space next to Woolworths. Support from the community will be greatly appreciated as it will go a long way in financially assisting the women,” she said.
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