POLOKWANE – Linah Masingi (30), Tiny Bapela (28), Jeanette Letsoalo (29), and Mapula Letsoalo (25) and their mentor, a vibrant and young entrepreneur, Puleng Mothupa (22) make flower pots of various sizes and designs from discarded egg cartons.
They began their craft in March at the Junior Achievement South Africa institution, an institution that offers an intensive 33-hour long business programme which runs over 12 weeks. During the programme, entrepreneurs learn how to start up and run their own business after selecting a product or service. This is where Puleng comes in as motivator, giving them classes, tips, and motivation on how to make and design the flower pots. These women study at different universities around Polokwane, but study craft work through Junior Achievement South Africa (Jasa).
“We decided upon recycled products to make our flower pots to cut down on costs so we can sell them at low prices but still make a profit,” Jeanette said.
Puleng expressed his pride at his artists and said they learned a lot because they are willing to learn and listen to his advice. “I see hard workers whose progress and creativity motivates them. They in turn motivate others in the community to work hard because they show them hard work pays off. When you are unable to find employment, look for alternatives to make an income, work hard instead of using excuses as a crutch,” he said.
Linah, Jeanette, Tiny and Mapula said through this business they can support their families. “Our target markets are communities and schools in our area, but we plan on selling our products in the urban areas as time goes on,” Mapula added. Since March they have designed a more than 12 flower pots of which they have sold five thus far. They plan to open a store where customers can browse through and buy their flower pots.”We would like Jasa to help us reach international markets and assist us to become good businesswomen,” Jeanette said.
