The Eersterivier Projects Organisation (EPO), situated in Kareedouw in the heart of the beautiful Route 62, South Africa, has turned around the lives of more than 100 women who previously had little to no income. Since the national COVID-19 lockdown in March 2020, ARMED with cloth, thread and needles, they create works of art unique to their own stories and those of their community and culture – one stitch at a time.
The story of the EPO, a registered BEE and non-profit organisation that is heavily dependent on funding, goes back over two decades.
What started as a small project in 1997 to provide an income for a few farm workers’ wives, changed the lives of countless local women. They employ embroiderers, seamstresses, a cutter and designer.
At the head of the project are Ronelle Coetzee (Head of Marketing and Sales) and Leoni de Lange, who was a sewing teacher for 17 years.
According to Coetzee, a few local ladies in the Eersterivier area recognised the need for job creation among the less fortunate in the local community.
“The primary incentive of the project is to create jobs and opportunities for mainly rural women to make a living by being creative with their own traditional skills and background,” she says.
“The women who are involved in this project have been empowered to recognise their own talents and creativity and the ability that they have as individuals to play a part in making positive differences in their communities.”
How It Works
How the project works: The embroiderers receive cotton cloth, which is mainly black, with the design pre-drawn onto it, together with a range of cotton threads.
“They can then use their creative talents to embroider with the colour schemes of their choice. After completing the work at their homes, it is sent to a central pick-up point.
“The women are paid per embroidered square produced. The fact that their names are part of the work is a source of great pride,” says Coetzee.
They illustrate designs of country scenes: birds, sheep, people, flowers, chickens, the big five and African scenes.
These embroidered pieces are then made into items such as bags, cushion covers, table runners, place mats, handbags, aprons, bags, tablecloths, book covers and toiletry bags – ready for sale under the label Tsitsikamma Eersterivier Embroidery.
According to Coetzee, their place mats, aprons and mitts are some of their top sellers.
They design and produce products on order, whether it is a bulk purchase or a single item.
You will find their brightly decorated squares appearing on products at a number of the shops in the Tsitsikamma area, as well as in Cape Town, Stellenbosch, Knysna, Albertinia, Sanparks and Grahamstown.
More Projects
Apart from the embroidery project, the organisation also supports a reading project – called “Doen en Leer” – for learners.
They furthermore offer CAMI programme training at their two training centres in Kareedouw and at Gustav Reichel Primary School at Eersterivier Kruis.
A total of 142 learners between the ages of 5 and 12 years, attend these classes.
Original article: https://www.netwerk24.com/ZA/Kouga-Express/uplifting-the-community-one-stitch-at-a-time-20200805-3