South Africa
This job creation project was established in 1995 focusing on the employment of single mothers and men from the local townships of Sharpville, Sebokeng and Orange Farm in South Africa. It was created to try and alleviate the amount of men and women with infants who had no other option but to beg on the side of roads to survive.
Each brightly painted piece is hand drawn and painted, making each product unique. What started with one or two ladies, now employs up to 20 full time and 5 part time employees. This group is essentially about empowerment and upliftment. Proceeds from the sale of these products go towards supporting children’s homes for abandoned and abused children as well as aids orphans.
They provide training, medical assistance eg:glasses, as well as staff loans to their employees.
There is a three-fold mission for their company. Their product mission is to create products which are of an exceptionally high standard both aesthetically and functionally.
The company mission is to provide friendly, reliable and efficient service to clients. Their social mission is to actively recognise the pivotal role that business can play in improving the quality of life of the local people. It is their mission to positively change the lives of more local men, women and children, through much needed employment, whilst also increasing their support to children in homes for abandoned, abused and Aids orphans through the sale of their beautiful products.
Production Techniques
These products are extremely labour intensive. There are seven people at any one time working on the enamelware. The unpainted enamel comes to the factory and is checked for rough edges and taped ready for the different base colours to be applied. After the base colour is painted, the detailed designs are hand drawn on the product which is then carefully hand painted in various colours. The product is then sealed, baked and cured. The final product is then checked, labelled and packed, ready for distribution. Because of the hand made nature of the products, no two pieces will be the same, making each product unique in its own right. All stages of the process are environmentally sustainable, as non-toxic, lead free paint is used and the factory has installed self contained spray booths with filtration systems attached.