I would like to introduce myself to the Friends of the Trust, some of you may already know me as I have been involved in the tourism industry for many years. I was born in Zimbabwe and grew up with a genuine love and passion for Africa which has never left me. I have, as a tour operator, travelled Southern Africa extensively. For the past four years I have worked on a part time basis with a social upliftment project in the townships in Cape Town which has given me great joy and a deep respect for these communities. The project also involved the tourism indusrty and I saw how the project changed many people’s lives from living in a shack to owning a home of their own.

I look forward to working together with the Trustees and the Friends of the Trust to continue the good work which has already been achieved by the TCD Trust and to see the reality of the dream for the new multi purpose centre at Blomvlei Primary School in Hanover Park.

I recently visited Blomvlei Primary School for the first time and met with the head mistress, Dawn Petersen. She proudly showed me around the school and the new sports flieds which were being laid, the first step towards the bigger picture of creating an enviroment for these children that they can be proud of and play in a safe area. We were there on a scorching hot day and the children were having their school assembly out in the school courtyard, Dawn said she could not wait for the day when they will have the centre open and the children won’t have to sit outside.

I hope to meet with many of you as soon as possible and look forward to working together.

Bronwen has been in the tourism industry for over 20 years and has, for the past four years, successfully coordinated projects involving the tourism industry and raising funds to build houses for shack dwellers living in the townships of the Western Cape.

With her passion for the upliftment of grassroute projects in South Africa and a vast knowldge and understanding of the tourism industry, Bronwen will continue to expand our Friends of the Trust and work with our various projects which the Trust supports.

The multi-purpose centre at Blomvlei Primary School in Hanover Park will be the focus of fund raising efforts and ensuring that the project continues to become a reality for this community.

We welcome Bronwen onboard and look forward to working together.

Offering job opportunities and a % of all sales to the trust, Africa My Bra has donated R25,195 in 2005 alone.

Many Thanks

In South Africa “africa my bra” is slang for “Africa my brother” and “Africa shu” is slang for “Africa wow!” In this instance, obviously, “bra” is for brassiere and “shu” is for shoe.

“Africa my bra” and “Africa shu” are the names chosen for the unique beaded bra straps and barefoot shoes made by previously unemployed African women. The packaging is environmentally friendly, made from recycled brown paper and the colour of the name represents Our Rainbow Nation.

The idea originated when Dahlene Griffiths stopped smoking and needed a way to occupy her restless hands. Her clever designs soon became popular,
but demand was fast overtaking supply and when she expressed her dismay at this dilemma to a friend, Di Thomas, who happens to be a trustee of the TCDT, their two minds got ticking…

The Trust had been looking at ways to create employment and encourage entrepeneurship amongst women in the townships. Surely, with their strong tradition of beadwork, these women would be perfect “bra and shu” makers?

The plan was quickly put into action, beginning with the training of Lucy Susela, Di’s 2-day -a-week-char, who was desparately in need of further employment. She, in turn, trained and sub-contracted a group of women from her immediate community. These ladies are working from home, so they have no transport costs and no need for daycare for their children. There is no expense to the beaders. They are supplied with a needle, string, beads, hooks and the training to get started. Their creativity is endless and Dahlene has given them the freedom to be creative with the materials that she supplies. They are paid in cash on completion of each pair. As word of mouth spreads, the network grows. So far 16 women and one man are putting bread on the table, where before there was none. Some are still in training and many more will be trained!

Shu, it’s so exciting my bra!

The Trust helps to market the merchandise via the tourism network and in turn a portion of all sales – R10 per bra strap set and R5 per shu set, are donated to the trust to further benefit the community.

If you would like to purchase a pair for yourself or a friend, visit Africa my Bra website or contact Dahlene directly on 083-6288555.