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| The story of Clover Mama Afrika | ||||||||
| Years and years ago, it was the norm for people to look after one another. No one went without food, clothing or shelter. The strong protected the weak, children and the aged. Skills were passed on from generation to generation. Elders were respected for their insight. | ||||||||
| It was a beautiful system in which everyone had a special role and a place of belonging. Call it ancient African wisdom. Or the concept of Ubuntu, which teaches: "I am who I am because of others around me; I am because we are." | ||||||||
| The story of Clover Mama Afrika | ||||||||
| At Clover, we have never turned a blind eye to the plight of people in need. And so we took our cue from this rich tradition of collective caring to establish Clover Mama Afrika – Ukwakha Isizwe (Building and nurturing our nation) – in 2004. Our very goal was to give South Africans from disadvantaged communities, society's forgotten people, back their pride and livelihoods. | ||||||||
| Clover Mama Afrika is based on a simple concept. We empower community caregivers with viable skills, which they in turn pass on to others, in order to earn a sustainable income for the community. All of this is done whilst caring for society's most vulnerable members, like orphaned and abused children and neglected senior citizens. | ||||||||
| No magic wands, just open hearts | ||||||||
| We are humbled by the fact that we have already been able to touch thousands of lives through the Clover Mama Afrika social responsibility investment project. Prof Elain Vlok, Clover Manager Corporate Services, drives the initiative with love, dedication and insight. On top of that, our partners and corporate sponsors keep surprising us with their generosity of spirit | ||||||||
| Clover Mamas, everyday angels | ||||||||
| Clover and its Area Managers carefully select our Clover Mamas. They are women who already make a difference in their communities and who want to become self-sustainable. | ||||||||
| Clover Mamas are trained in essential skills like cooking, baking, sewing, crocheting, business management, food gardening and bread baking. But it doesn't stop there. Mamas also receive the necessary tools, equipment and infrastructure to create an income for their communities, using their newly acquired skills. | ||||||||
| Help us to continue the good work | ||||||||
| At Clover, we have the commitment, infrastructure and proven track record to continue managing the Clover Mama Afrika initiative. It’s a stable, well-run social investment project of which the finances are independently audited by Ernst & Young. | ||||||||
| But this is not enough. The scope of the project and the challenges facing South African people are simply too big for Clover to carry alone. We ask that individuals and corporations, like you, join us on this journey of creating sustainability. | ||||||||
| It’s up to us to empower our fellow South African citizens, young and old, with the knowledge and skills to control their own destinies. Through Clover Mama Afrika, we can achieve this and so much more! | ||||||||
| Whether you'd like to adopt a Clover Mama and her Centre, or make a contribution in any other way, giving your support to Clover Mama Afrika is a life-changing experience. To read more about our Clover Mamas and their self-help projects, please email mamaafrika@clover.co.za or contact us on (011) 471 1400. |
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| With warm wishes The Clover Mama Afrika team |
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| Training and Skills Development | ||||||||
| Cooking and Baking Courses | ||||||||
| Teaming up with training facilitators such as Good Food Studios of Pick 'n Pay, Chipkins and Snowflake, Clover Mama Afrika Trust invests in cooking and baking courses where members are taught basic cooking skills as well as advanced courses and more specialised courses such as cake baking and cake decorating. These courses have been the inspiration for profitable self-help projects for many of the Mamas, with some even starting catering services. The courses also provide the costing of meals, ingredient selection, dish presentation and cooking theory as well as high emphasis on personal hygiene, food hygiene and cleanliness of kitchen and appliances. The starter kit for these courses includes: Kenwood Major Mixer and general kitchen appliances and accessories. Some centres are also given new stoves and ovens. |
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| Bread Oven Project | ||||||||
| This is a two-week training with Siyabonga Africa whose objective is teaching people the art of bread making. Bread is the staple diet for many people in South Africa and this project gives the Mamas the opportunity of feeding their members as well as generating a good income. Every centre is equipped with a mini bakery consisting of gas operated oven, gas cylinder, workbench, proofer, mixer as well as start up ingredients to bake 100 loaves. Further training is also provided to expand on this project by baking popular confectionery goods such as scones, biscuits, banana loaves and much more. |
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| Sewing Project | ||||||||
| Bernina SA provides all the sewing courses starting with a two week beginners training session that teaches them to operate both the sewing and overlock machine. The members return for further training that includes: advanced training and more progressive training. By the end of the year, members have acquired valuable knowledge to complete items such as: tracksuits, skirts and jackets as well as evening dresses. Further workshops such as the Denim Drives is offered where fast sellable denims items such as bags and aprons are made. This is also made possible thanks to the valuable partnership with Levis Strauss who donates the denim fabric. The sewing starter kit includes a Bernina sewing machine and an overlocker with accessories and they receive material off-cuts on a regular basis. |
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| Food Gardens | ||||||||
| This intensive two-day training course with partner Food & Trees for Africa, teaches Clover Mamas to grow vegetables by optimising minimum space with limited resources. Course topics include water use and conservation, nutrition and pest control without poison. The course is aimed not only at enabling the Mamas, but to empower entire communities. This is achieved by training the unemployed and providing them with seed packs and garden tools to start their own organic gardens with a view to expanding, generating an income and becoming self-sufficient. | ||||||||
| Quilting | ||||||||
| This course was identified as a beneficial skill to have in the Western and Northern Cape communities but it has now grown countrywide due to demand. Facilitators Charlie du Toit of Bernina Blackheath and our very own Prof Elain Vlok provides these Mamas with beginners, intermediate and various advanced courses. Further workshops with renowned quilters like Marie du Toit and Rachel du Toit are offered. Trained members are in turn empowering other members of their respective communities and have a production line. These exclusively made items are also being marketed to the overseas market. |
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| Flower arrangement | ||||||||
| The flower arrangement workshop was offered due to the great demand in various communities. Many of them caters for various functions such as weddings, christenings and alas funerals (some centres experience up to two funerals per week). There was a need for them to create affordable flower arrangements.
The workshop is facilitated by Flower Connexion of Johannesburg and a yearly workshop is held at the Smarties Week with Gerda Tuffin of Cape School of Floristry for all Mamas. |
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| Added Value Workshops/Self-Help Projects | ||||||||
| Crocheting Workshops | ||||||||
| Crocheting workshop enables care centres and homes to empower other community members to generate an income in a fun and trendy way. Course members are taught the basics of crocheting, but individual creativity has led members to make many fashionable crocheting items. The starter kit includes crochet wool and a needle, shoe soles and leather straps. |
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| Beadwork | ||||||||
| Clover Mama Afrika supports in supplying workshops and beading accessories to centres that are actively involved with beadwork. | ||||||||
| Art workshop | ||||||||
| A one-day art course was introduced in the Eastern Cape with five Mamas participating. The result was beyond any expectations and the Mamas were surprised at their own talent. From the feedback received, it was unanimously decided to offer this course to all Mamas on a yearly basis during the Smarties Week event. This talent has proven to be a fun way to raise funds as well as therapeutic for the disabled in their care. Creative Heartz of Port Elizabeth is the training facilitators. |
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| Vodacom Phone Shops and Mobile Public Phones | ||||||||
| After a long-awaited feasibility study, Soweto and Ennerdale were each awarded a fully equipped Vodacom container comprising five telephone lines. Besides providing the respective communities with telephone services, these containers also provide a source of income to the centres operating them. All other care centres countrywide have received a mobile public telephone that enables them to generate income and serves as a cheaper way of communication for the centre. |
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| Save a Child – First Aid Course | ||||||||
| This course is facilitated by St John's Ambulance Services and has been implemented nationally. It provides essential knowledge on what should be done in the event of minor burns, cuts, respiratory problems and other medical situations arising with young children. This project has come very useful to many centres and has since saved many lives. | ||||||||
| Basic Finance Management | ||||||||
| Due to the sustainable growth experienced with the skills implemented, it was evident that the Mamas needed guidance and assistance in managing these skills projects. It was also an opportunity to emphasise the importance of "Evaluation Process" in order for Clover Mama Afrika to maintain its prime objective of sustainable growth. Currently all skills training provided include basic business management and marketing sessions. |
