The issue of poverty in the rural areas has led the founder of the Khuthaza uKufunda Initiative, Princess Stella Sigcau II, to start a manufacturing skills training initiative.
Sigcau said she started this initiative with the aim of fighting poverty in her area, since lot of people are unemployed and depend on social grants.
Sigcau started the initiative this month, after she saw the high rate of unemployment in her area.
“In this new initiative, we are teaching community members to make shoes, meat processing, etc. They will then be able to start their own businesses.
“This is the second initiative that I am doing. I started with the Khuthaza uKufunda programme, where we are promoting education, even to the elderly,” said Sigcau.
She added that they had trained people from eMaxesibeni, Bizana, Lusikisiki and Ntabankulu.
She said that, as time goes on, they would look at the outcomes and ensure that more people could benefit.
Sigcau added that they wanted to meet government halfway because this initiative could create jobs and fight poverty, if community members grab it in both hands.
One of the people who were trained was Noluthando Gcadinja, who said that they had learnt a lot of things like making perfumes, body lotions, cleaning detergents and other skills. She said she attended the programme because she wanted something that she could do when she is a pensioner.
“The initiative was very good, but I was disappointed because young people did not attend it. If they attended it, surely they would have learnt a lot and it was going to assist them in their lives,” said Gcadinja.
She added that they learnt basics. For instance, when making shoes, they were using glue not sewing machines.
Another attendee, Noluthando Dlamini (35), said what she learnt from this initiative would assist her a lot because she will be able to raise funds for her bakery.
“I am not working but the information I received will assist me to open some doors. At the moment I am surviving by selling scones,” said Dlamini.
She added that young people should use these opportunities because there are not many jobs available but this information could assist them to start their own businesses.
