Stronger together through Ladies Outing

When Rinae Mamphodo walked away from a tumultuous marriage, she walked into a journey of self-discovery and healing.

It was a blessing in disguise because she has found happiness beyond what she could have expected and now she is helping other women deal with difficulties they encounter, not necessarily marital, she said.

Rinae explained that it should be clear that she is in no way a counsellor nor psychologist, however, she is always ready and willing to give an ear without judging others.

“I am by no means an expert at life but I have had my fair share of hardships and I know the need to offload. I never pretend to have the answers because I do not, but I am on this journey along with the women and what worked for me would not necessarily work for somebody else,” she said.

Rinae went through a period of depression and she knew that she would be in trouble if she did not do something about it. She started out small by joining an aerobics class, then hiking and bungee jumping and other challenging events. She challenged herself to step out of her comfort zone and she discovered that she was an adventurous person at heart after all.

She founded the Ladies Outing in an effort to create a sisterhood, bringing women together and build a support system.

“With the Ladies Outing, all judgment will be left at the door as the women enter a safe space where they can be themselves and live their truth.

“People join for different reasons; some want new friends, some want to pour their hearts out to someone who is not close enough to their situation to judge and some just want to have fun, which we will have plenty of,” she said.

The next outing will be to Zwakala Brewery where they will embark on a 10km hike with scenic views followed by lunch where the women will engage and make new friends.

She recalled her first hike, where she went alone with a group of people who clearly knew each other and she felt a tinge of loneliness despite having a good time.

She expressed that it was something she noted not to do with the Ladies Outing, everyone will feel welcomed.

“We won’t have a situation where friends stick together instead of making new ones, thus defeating the purpose of the outing.” Rinae is also exploring other types of get-togethers.

“Next time we might be doing something else like a picnic, then the next a high tea and so forth,” she said.