Beading, sewing, and baking are some of the skills non-profit organisation Sibanye is hoping to instil in the youth in Sea Vista, St Francis Bay, to decrease high levels of crime in the community and promote job creation.
As previously reported by the Kouga Express, Sibanye was established by mothers from Sea Vista who were determined to provide children in the area with various programmes to enable them to strive for their dreams, while staying away from negative elements in the community.
The organisation, which was established in 2017 by 10 members, offers various programmes at the Sea Vista Community Hall, which include a girls and boys’ empowerment group to educate young people on the dangers of drug and alcohol usage and crime.
In addition, they established a reading group and provided the young girls with much-needed sanitary towels.
Recently, the organisation began providing beading workshops to provide the youth in the area with a skill to help them generate an income.
Nomvulazana Magwa, who facilitates the beading workshop, said teaching the children in their community the skill to do beading, was to their own advantage and that of the community as it would ultimately contribute to tourism development in the area.
She further said it would also promote job creation in the community.
“It is important for the youth in our communities to have a constant ongoing programme of activities to decrease the high level of substance abuse and crime currently in our community,” said Magwa.
She said the young boys and girls who have benefited from the workshop will have a skill that will give them the ability to provide for their families financially.
Magwa said the group of young people who have joined the workshop have had an exciting and overwhelming experience.
“Our group of girls already started to create earrings during their first lesson and are looking forward to accomplishing more in terms of arm bands, necklaces, head bands and leg bands,” said Magwa.
Despite only recently establishing the beading workshop, she said they were looking forward to maintaining the programme within their organisation for future references in a bid to help more young people.
To further provide the youth in the area with a variety of skills, the organisation is planning to host sewing and baking workshops.
However, Magwa said that they currently only had one sewing machine which made it challenging to teach all the children during their workshop.
She is therefore hoping to receive donations of any kind to get the programme up and running.
Furthermore, Magwa said that they did not have a stove for the baking workshop but are hopeful that they will receive the necessary equipment soon.
- For more information contact Shaida Abdol on 073 544 4411.
