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| Newsroom |
| CMA Newsletter – May 2013 |
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| "Thousands of candles can be lit by a single candle & the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by sharing." -Buddha- |
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| TRANSFERRING OF KNOWLEDGE |
Clover Mama Afrika boasts trainers that are the cream of the crop. These include Linda Venter from Bernina SA, dedicated trainers from Siyabonga Africa and many more. The Clover Mamas receive the training from the best trainers which is supported with the best equipment. However, Clover Mamas are also fortunate to have yet another trainer that is dedicated to share her skills and this is our own Prof Elain Vlok, the driving force behind Clover Mama Afrika. Prof Elain facilitates quilt training sessions and various hand sewing skills. “I am fortunate to be able to share the knowledge I have on quilting and hand sewing – it’s a real pleasure to teach those who want to learn and to see the rewarding results of your teaching. By being personally involved in the projects, we are able to save on costs for the project.” Prof Elain says.
Constantly adding value to the project is important and looking for new opportunities that are cost effective and that benefit the Clover Mamas is what Clover Mama Afrika is all about. This includes seeking new ideas of what the Clover Mamas can make with their hands that require minimum resources to generate additional income. Once ideas are devised, the Clover Mama Afrika team attend one day “train-the-trainer” courses to acquire the necessary knowledge that they require to transfer to the Clover Mamas. Recent train-the-trainer courses included trendy jewellery making, quilt box making and Sri Lankan quilting, all of which will be taught to the Clover Mamas during the upcoming Smarties Week. “What we learnt includes easy and trendy items. These will definitely help the Mamas generate income. It is always nice to give the Mamas new ideas. It is also essential that we have adequate knowledge of as many skills as possible that the Mamas are training in, to be able to respond to their queries and assist them accordingly.” confirms Prof Elain.
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| Prof Elain in one of her many “transferring of knowledge” and skills workshops with the Clover Mamas |
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| Prof Elain with the finished necklace and with the kits all neatly packed ready to be sent for Smarties Week. |
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| The quilt box workshop enabled the team to ensure that the step by step instructions were 100% perfect for the Clover Mamas. |
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| Another valuable hand-skill learnt was the Sri Lankan quilting, which will be shared with the Clover Mamas |
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| COUNTDOWN TO THE CLOVER MAMA AFRIKA SMARTIES WEEK 2013 |
| Every year the Clover Mamas unite at one venue where they enjoy a variety of value added workshops on a daily basis. For an entire week, the Mamas can become way better in everything they do. The week is aptly called Smarties Week and has been made possible by our project partner, Expeditors International. This year’s theme is “Smart Crafts” where the Mamas will enjoy exploring their talents under the guidance of teachers such as Nadine van der Merwe, Gerda Tuffin, Flip Hattingh, Terence JV Vuuren and our own Prof Elain Vlok. All of these skills can be transferred to others and generate additional income for the Clover Mama Afrika centre. |
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| All the elements are packed and ready to be couriered to the Hyatt Regency Hotel in George, where this event will take place. |
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| THE CLOVER MAMA AFRIKA / BERNINA SEWING COMPETITION HAS BEEN JUDGED |
Every year the Clover Mamas sewing centre enters the Clover Mama Afrika / Bernina sewing competition. This competition remains one of the best ways to evaluate sewing techniques across all aspects from applying basic sewing rules to neatness of work as well as their creative ability. This year they all received a Kaftan dress pattern with easy to use instructions as well as fabric and accessories. “It was an easy pattern and the included instructions were also easy to follow. We did however receive a few entries where contestants failed to follow instructions and had to be disqualified. Judging the overall quality of work was a pleasure” said Linda Venter from Bernina SA. Bongile Makhubu, Quality Controller at Marianne Fassler’s Leopard Froc also had a great time judging the garments and provided valuable comments for each Mama. “We are strict when judging this competition, we look at every bit of the garment and based on the amount of training the Mamas have received over the years, we can easily see those who do and do not apply what they have learned during training sessions with Bernina SA.” Prof Elain said.
The overall winner will receive a Bernette 340 Décor machine including training sponsored by Bernina SA. The total prize is valued at R35 000 and this winner will be announced at the Smarties Week gala event on 16 May 2013. Keep an eye on our next newsletter or follow us on Facebook. |
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| Prof Elain, Bongile Makhubu and Linda Venter scrutinising each and every stitch before writing their comments and recommendation on the judging sheets |
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| Prof Elain (centre) thanked the judges Linda Venter (left) and Bongile Makhubu (right) for their valuable time and support |
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| ESKORT SUPPORTS CLOVER MAMA AFRIKA |
For over 90 years Eskort has enjoyed a partnership with Clover and what Better Way to celebrate than by contributing to the Clover Mama Afrika project. Eskort donated 2 tons of Eskort French Polony to the following Clover Mamas:
• Mama Rina Malan from Pretoria
• Mama Gab’sile Khoza from Tembisa
• Mama Emily Duda from Muldersdrift
• Mama Zakhe Rammekwa from Princess
• Mama Lucia Cobokane from Fairview
These donations will be used to collectively care for and feed more than 1 300 children and elderly.
Eskort is honoured to play a small role in assisting this cause. “It was such a pleasure meeting with the Clover Mama’s to hand-deliver their Eskort Polonies. It was great to see the appreciation for the donation and the wonderful difference that these Mamas make in their communities,” said Jolandie Louwies, Eskort Limited Brand Manager. |
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| Arnold Prinsloo (Eskort CEO) with Ingrid Lourens, Mama Gab’sile and the learners from Siyazigabisa Home of Hope, Tembisa |
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| Staff and learners from Mama Zakhe’s Tshepang Project really enjoyed taking pictures in front of the Eskort truck |
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| Mama Lucia from Fairview was overwhelmed with this donation |
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| LET’S NOT FORGET OUR CAREGIVERS |
| Heleen van Huyssteen from Care for the Caregiver, a project supported by the Bright Foundation, approached Clover Mama Afrika to help our centres with a programme to assist their care givers. She recently visited Mama Zakhe from Princess. “We did a workshop titled “Memory Work”, the fifth workshop in the series “Care for the Caregiver”. The caregivers enjoyed creating their own memory books. Although they addressed serious issues, they appreciated the creative and relaxed way in which it was done,” said Heleen. The second part of “Memory Work” will be presented at a later date where the workshops will be focused on assisting caregivers to facilitate “Memory Work” with the children as well. Heleen is a registered specialist counsellor at the South African Council of Counsellors and is dedicated to providing valuable support to care givers countrywide. “I want to thank Mama Zakhe for her support and the importance she attaches to the “Care for the Caregiver” Programme.” |
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| Mama Zakhe’s caregivers proudly show off their Memory Book that will help them. |
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| GOOD NEWS FROM MAMAS… |
| MAMA Doris of Keiskammahoek |
Mama Selestien of Ashbury |
| Doris Ndingane from Keiskammahoek has passed her driver’s license and can now drive with peace of mind. “Congratulations Mama Doris!” |
Selestien Moses of Ashbury received the Langeberg Food contract to supply bread for their soup kitchen project. This means that their bread baking project will triple as they will be delivering to 12 schools within the Langeberg community. |
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| Mama Doris from Keiskammahoek can now drive proud |
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| Mama Selestien of Ashbury |
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| In closing, Clover Mama Afrika is excited about the upcoming Smarties Week with lots of positive energy, time and planning that has gone into putting the final programme together now behind us, we know that it will be a week that will be enjoyed by all Mamas. So until next time here is a nice thought for you…… |
"An unshared life is not living. He who shares does not lessen, but greatens, his life."
-Stephen S. Wise- (1874-1949)- |
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