When we think about a charity’s needs, we immediately think: money. Money that needs to be raised, collected, assigned and responsibly spent. However, hands-on training and skills are just as important to these organisations in order for them to thrive in this economy and environment. Clover Mama Afrika feels strongly about its skills-centred model, where training is prioritised for all their members, better known as Mama Afrikas.
Clover Mama Afrika focuses on breaking the cycle of poverty by empowering women who can affect change in South Africa. Which ultimately means seeing communities become sustainable through skills development training in underprivileged areas. “Training and development are critical areas of focus in our project. Many of our courses are new and allow our Mama Afrikas to learn new skills and better themselves, and we also have refresher courses that allow them to practice and refine what they have already been taught,” explains Prof Elain Vlok, Clover Manager, Clover Mama Afrika Trust.
“Of course, donations and sponsors are important, but how that money is spent, and how you teach someone to use what they are given, is what defines success or failure. Once-off donations may make a temporary impact, however we prefer to have a long-term outlook, where everything we do is underpinned by the development of a skill which will map an economic course for a Mama Afrika and her project. We find doing continuous in-person training courses with our Mama Afrikas better entrenches the skills development that is taking place. We are able to see how each of the Mama Afrikas are developing, what their strengths and weaknesses are and how they will implement their skills at their own centres. Of course doing face-to-face training also allows for direct questions if someone is unsure or struggling, which means they just learn so much better and faster,” says Prof Vlok.
Clover Mama Afrika invests a lot of time and training into their Mama Afrikas and the project as a whole. The investments result in greater success due to being backed so thoroughly by the skills training that takes place. “A great example of our skills training is that we supply many of our Mama Afrikas with equipment for their centres, such as ovens, sewing machines, or stoves, but to qualify for the equipment, they need attend our training and upskilling courses. We don’t just hand over equipment, we ensure that they (and their staff) know exactly how to use the equipment to make that project successful,” Explains Vlok.
All the Mama Afrikas are also equipped with thorough financial guidelines and are encouraged to have business plans for their centres, leaving them with a full framework in order to make their centres thrive.
“Yes, all organisations need financial support and contributions to make them survive, however, financial support is not the only key factor that allows for a charity to run smoothly. We need to ensure there is a greater focus placed on the upskilling that takes place in these projects so that they have the necessary longevity to lead to success. Clover Mama Afrika has a vision to witness the transfer of skills from one community member to another, eventually rippling out across South Africa,” concludes Prof Vlok.
Clover Mama Afrika is a sustainable Corporate Social Investment project that has been in existence since 2001, seeing the project host 440 training sessions with over 2313 beneficiaries over the years.
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