We have two new partners. Two more opportunities to make life better for young people in South Africa, to give them a trade and some self-confidence and self-respect, to feed a family and to give a positive role model to others.

We will be supporting six apprentices at Juja Clay who will learn how to work with kaolin and ....

... make lovely things with it. They will also be mentored in business skills. Juja clay has a track record of helping young potters who then go on to run their own businesses.

In November Ade will be running a two-week course in the basics of bricklaying for Claytile in the Western Cape. This is part of of Claytile's social outreach programme and they will be recruiting a dozen or so young people who would not otherwise have access to training from the local community.

I was able to visit the Eastern Cape again this month and was pleased to be able to link up with partners and friends there and to follow up a new contact near Cape Town. So here's a quick roundup.

I received a timely reminder from Tanya that things can take longer than you wish or hope. We have some very real opportunities for partnership coming up, but while doing our best to make things happen, will also have to be patient. 

Almost six months, but not quite, into our latest sewing project with the ladies at Umziwethu in Marselle, near Kenton on Sea, and what beautiful things they are producing! The standard is good, and I was so pleased to see the variety of things they were producing:

• peg bags
• tote bags (complete with nifty pocket for credit cards
• make up and toiletry bags
• aprons
• spectacle cases

I was so proud to see these labels or something similar on every item the Umziwethu ladies had made. Travelling on from Kenton into the Karoo, I visited several craft and souvenir shops and felt proud of the standard of sewing that these ladies have achieved.

Of course, there is more to be learnt, but sewing relatively simple items to a high standard is a great start, and we are hoping to continue to help these ladies, and others to support themselves through sewing.

​I'm all about supporting local and my shop stocks only local products.
When I opened my shop, Silver Linings, in Kenton, I tracked down a sewing circle in Marselle Bushmansrivermouth, across the river. I met the ladies who had been gifted industrial sewing machines, probably by the Department of Rural Development, but they didn't have any materials, haberdashery, nor training, nor route to market. These ladies have no business skills either as they've only done domestic work.
I appealed to our local community to donate old materials that they didn't need and they generously donated items so the ladies could start sewing.

​I trained in marketing and was in corporate for a decade. When I had my children I decided to become self-employed, which was 17 years ago. I started with a corporate gifts and clothing company in Mossel Bay. I was widowed when my kids were six months and four years old so moved to Port Elizabeth where my family lived. I started a guesthouse and ran that for over 10 years then moved to Bushmansrivermouth. After lockdown I saw a gap in the market for a little shop and wanted to support the local community. 
At school I did some needlework, but not much. I really started sewing when I was 18 and ended up making all of my own suits in corporate. I would make five-piece suits: a lined blazer with a pair of trousers, bermuda shorts, a shift dress with a skirt to match and my clothes always looked fantastic. I was very fortunate I had a friend who taught me tailoring tricks so the clothing came out looking like it had been shop bought and not homemade
I believe in sharing knowledge so I’m delighted that now I can pass on my skills to the ladies at Marselle. When you share knowledge it can only expand.

Congratulations to all of our 'graduates'. Some of them already had the basics and the course reinforced their understanding and introduced new skills. Others learnt the basics from scratch. 

Here, Lucky January, gives his impression of the course.

Ade was back in Grahamstown Makhanda briefly in February. He was able to visit Amasango and see the hairdressing and beauty skills salon in action.

There was practical as well as theoretical teaching going on, it was good humoured and the students were clearly enjoying the new course. 

Ade was also trying to finalise the details of the forthcoming brick-laying course which was due to take place in the early months of 2023 but will now take place later on in the year.
It's good to be able to report also that Ade was able to meet Jane Bradshaw, inspiration and mentor to Khanya. She is now in Johannesburg in very well deserved retirement.

In September Ade was in Grahamstown/Makhanda briefly. Then in November Ade and Christina were in South Africa together for nine days. All good intentions to write about our visit were overtaken bye Christmas - so here is a better-late-than-never brief run down.

First stop, the Sewing Studio and here we are, left to right, Christina, Robyn Cooper who organised the last iteration of the course, Sabelo Bill tutor, Sipahle, star pupil and Ade. We are standing in Jane Bradshaw's lovely garden. and has now moved to Jo'burg where we wish her well.

Next we went to Kenton to meet Tanya Fouche - seen here with Ade - who hopes to get a sewing project off the ground with a little help from us.

These beautiful cabbages were grown by Masimini who has been teaching his neighbours to grow their own. It wasn't clear if there would be a role for us in this small but important project, we are keeping in touch and will wait and see.

From Grahamstown/Makhanda we drove north through the Eastern Cape and the Transkei - where the roads are challenging to put it mildly. We went to the Donald Woods Foundation. At the moment the foundation is inactive and the facilities we saw are mothballed. But they hope to start up projects again in the next year or so, and there may be some possibility of partnership with them down the line.

We are freshly back from Greenbelt and any day now Ade will be flying to South Africa, he is going for the Rugby World Cup Sevens tournament in Cape Town, but will also spend a few days in the Eastern Cape saying the briefest of 'hello's to our partners and friends there. 

In some ways a chance conversation at Greenbelt in 2017 was the spark that led to Khanya. Ade and I had spent a fortnight volunteering at Amasango Career School at the beginning of the year. That August bank holiday, over a pint at the Jesus Arms, Ade said he couldn't get out of his mind that many of the learners wouldn't go on to high school and would have a trade or skill with which to earn a living. He was thinking about going back and talking to a few people, he said.

Ever one to grab an opportunity for some winter sun, I invited myself along for what turned out to be a fascinating visit. We returned knowing that we needed to raise some money and to do that we needed to have a proper organisation charity).

My desire for a bit of winter sun led me to something infinitely more worth while. Ade's trip to the Rugby World Sevens will be so much more than just that. Visits to partners in South Africa, no matter how short, are valued by them and always valuable for us.

As for Greenbelt – just in case you were wondering, it's a faith, justice and arts festival. Where else would you be able to hear refugee Gulwali Passarlay above (The Lightless Sky), Richard Dawkin, Rowan Williams and Caroline Lucas in the same weekend, learn felting and willow weaving or join a pop-up choir?