Projects

mandela village

Mandela Village is located in Namakgale. Namakgale is a big township located 12 kilometers outside of Phalaborwa in the Mopani District of South Africa’s Limpopo province, where unemployment is rife . Lulekani, Makhushane, Maseke, and Mashishimale are the closest townships on the R71 road to Gravelotte (GaMaenetje).

Although the aim of our women empowerment projects is to reach all women throughout South Africa, we are taking one step at a time, affecting one village at a time until we see South Africa changed.

The Extract below will give you an overview of the poverty that affects women in Limpopo and thereby make you realize the importance of starting our project there.

Women in Poverty: Experience from Limpopo Province, South Africa

Kongolo, M. - Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), Pretoria, South Africa

Poverty and unemployment are closely related; the unemployment rate in the province is about 22%. Those employed are working mainly in agriculture, mining and small industries, but the earnings are relatively low to maintain their families. As a result, the rate of participation in formal economy has been quite low (Loy, 1997)

In Limpopo, women poverty is mainly associated with the
following:
• households have more children who are hungry and malnourished;

• women heads of household with more children going hungry;

• women households who survive on less than US10 per month;

• some children have been abandoned while others live with friends;

• infant mortality rate is higher about 40 per 1,000 live births;

• parents and children are separated because of poverty; and