THE Xhosa word, Lavelilanga<\/i>, means \u201cThe sun has risen\u201d, and for a number of women in Somerset East this is indeed true. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Since Crystal Reid has come into their lives, they are inspired, hopeful, and fully committed to make a living for themselves and achieving success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Reid and her two children moved from Port Elizabeth to Somerset East in 2008 to join her husband, Wesley, who had started to work here three years earlier. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In Somerset East she mainly focused on manufacturing uniforms for schools, clubs and churches but somewhere in this petite woman\u2019s heart another small seed was starting to sprout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She needed to satisfy this intense desire to assist women in her community to empower themselves. She decided to train them in some form of arts and crafts. In 2010 she started with a small group of ladies who were interested and very keen to take part in this project. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Reid\u2019s enthusiasm fired them up to become part of this initiative in order to become independent and make a living. So it was that they took a few steps in this new and exciting venture by creating different kinds of decorative papier mach\u00e9 household items using mostly recyclable products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 2012 they registered their business as Lavelilanga Women\u2019s Craft Co-op with Small Enterprise Development Agency (SEDA) which assisted them with marketing material, and an email account, as well as a website. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
They had been building up the small business using their own funds while experimenting in search of a foolproof recipe which would be 100% suited for the beautiful and sturdy items they had in mind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They lost no time in showing their work and exhibited at many exhibitions and local festivals in and around Somerset East such as the Biltong Festival and in 2012 they were invited by the Department of Sport, Recreation Arts and Culture to exhibit at the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown where their company became a household name in the Eastern Cape. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Slowly but surely they were building up an immensely valuable and expansive clientele.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They were overwhelmed and proud when they were selected to be funded by the Eastern Cape Development Organisation (ECDC) and the Sarah Baartman District who select and fund only top crafters in the Eastern Cape. These funds were put to good use when raw materials and equipment were bought and they could afford to exhibit more extensively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 2015 and 2016 Lavelilanga WCC received the Women\u2019s Achievement award for best craft in the design category from the Department of Arts and Culture. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
With this feather of pride in their cap they applied for assistance from the Blue Crane Route Municipality in their home town, Somerset East, and received a substantial amount which they used judiciously to buy more machines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To their delight they received their export and import licence from the ECDC and so they are now registered exporters and importers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
They are pleased to have been invited to their first international trade show, funded by the Department of Trade and Industry, from October 1 to 4, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. This is indeed an important venture and Reid looks forward to attending as she sees diverse opportunities lying in wait.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Reid is bubbling with enthusiasm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAlthough the road up to here was not easy, we are justly proud to have achieved what we did. We are planning to bring younger people on board as part of our community service and to assist them with job creation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe are positive and determined to persevere so we can spread our wings in order for the sun to rise for more people in our community.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
THE Xhosa word, Lavelilanga, means \u201cThe sun has risen\u201d, and for a number of women in Somerset East this is indeed 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