If you ever thought that shoemakers are only men, think again. The Footpath Development Trust by Anne Marie is a non-profit organisation who are dedicated to upskill unemployed women to become successful cobblers. A cobbler is a person who fixes shoes.
Rebecca Kubatsi is a facilitator of the classes and explained that is a private project.
“We train less than ten ladies from a certain area every time. The course takes two and a half months and it’s on a Thursday and Friday from 9 am to 3 pm. We start by teaching them all the names of the tools which we use in shoe repairs,” she said.
- Service delivery protests halt traffic in Eldos and Soweto – [also read]
- House Wives League gives bedridden Molemohi hope – [also read]
In repairs the ladies learn how to fix and replace the sole of the shoes, they learn how to replace the heels of shoes, stitch, add patches, zips, they learn how to crochet, dye fabric on the shoes, beading, whatever else needs to be done on a shoe.
“We empower women to be their own bosses and how to be a real cobbler,” Kubatsi said.
“The sponsors are overseas and they just giving back to South African women. They want us as African women to come out of poverty and become entrepreneurs.
“These sponsors are South African but they are living overseas now,” said another facilitator, Gloria Mthombeni.
Previously the facilitators were teaching in Honeydew, Newlands and now they were in Coronationville.
According to Kubatsi, the second group of ladies will be taught in Coronationville as well, at the Recreational centre which will start at the end of May for another two and a half months.
Students had to first learn how to crochet before making these shoes.
Once done with training the ladies each receives a certificate and a starter kit which has all the necessary supplies and tools for them to start their own businesses.
“We gave them everything so that they do not have an accuse of not starting their businesses,” said Mthombeni.
When asked why the project is specifically focused on women, Mthombeni explained: “Men have a lot of opportunities in our country and as we know, this is usually a man’s job. So, we are trying to chance it and balance it out.”
According to Kubatsi, they as facilitators will do follow-ups to see how the businesses are doing and they still assist where they can.
The classes also taught the ladies how to start their business, how to market it and they were even taken to town to see the different factories which they can buy their supplies from.
When asked who is planning on starting their own business, the group of ladies all responded in excitement “we all are”. We look forward to seeing female cobblers in our neighbourhoods.
Follow Us Here:
Catch the latest news by visiting our other platforms:
