Take one talented young fashion designer with a great eye for detail and a creative flair, and combine it with a passion for making a difference in society, and you have a wonderful South African social entrepreneur, Balungile Sokhulu, founder of Goshem City of Refuge Shelter. She is transforming recycled paper into accessories that are real works of art, and creating much-needed opportunities for youth with disabilities and women. She is a real game-changer.
LoA met with Balungile to see some of these unusual and beautiful accessories and to find out more about the inspiration for this wonderful social enterprise.
What does your company do?
We provide training and job skills to disadvanta
ged, unemployed women and youth with disabilities and train them to manufacture fashion accessories, interior decor pieces, corporate gifts and haute couture, using our innovation in newspaper recycling technology. We are also looking to house abused women and their children whilst training them with their new skills.
What inspired you to start your company?
I am a fashion designer and after working in the fashion industry for a while, I decided to complement the industry by creating a unique range of accessories. At the same time, I was also looking for a platform to address various challenges that our country and the world at large faces. My passion for recycled materials and newspapers provided the appropriate vehicle for me to create something different and make a difference.
Why should anyone use your service or product?
Our hand-made products advocate a WORLD-FIRST innovation in newspaper recycling combined with skills development. It provides an effective means of providing women’s entrepreneurship opportunities and empowering youth with disabilities; a way of creating awareness in climate change; recycling, sustainable job creation; and creativity.
Tell us a little about your team
We are a team of four people who have teamed up with the Johannesburg School of Autism in South Africa with the aim of training the disabled youth in newspaper recycling technology. We also have an in-house team to produce required orders.
Share a little about your entrepreneurial journey. And, do you come from an entrepreneurial background?
My uncle and my step-granny were entrepreneurs in their own right, so with me being exposed to them and their work, it gave me the much needed inspiration to start my own entrepreneurial journey. As a designer, I started this journey trying to find a textile medium that would assimilate reeds, since I grew up weaving grass mats as a child in KwaZulu-Natal. Using my newly found knowledge and skills acquired from the fashion industry, I incorporated my knowledge to produce this innovation. The journey has had its ups and downs, but what has kept me determined is my passion and heart for people and the industry.
What are your future plans and aspirations for your company?
My future plans are to put the skills into the hands of as many unemployed women and physically challenged youth, and form a collaboration with satellite studio owners to produce the desired orders of our products in volume. Also, to establish a skills centre for people with disabilities, providing them with the core skills to enable them to manufacture an internationally renowned product in exchange for a sustainable donation. This will make this innovation viable for ongoing job creation and product design and development, thus making our NPO a formidable service provider where everybody is satisfied. It will also assist the ladies that we house in our shelter to be self-sustaining and empower them to fight the scourge of women abuse in our country.
What gives you the most satisfaction being an entrepreneur?
To see my products bought by benefactors, because that sustains the livelihoods of the people and their families that manufacture them.
What’s the biggest piece of advice you can give to other women looking to start-up?
Turn your passion into business because you need to wake up in the morning and love what you do, it’s the motivation when the outcome of your vision seems to be realized.
source:Lionesses Africa
36 comments
Very interesting info !Perfect just what I was looking for!
THANKS DEAR!
Very good blog article. Keep writing.
thanks
Your means of explaining the whole thing in this piece of writing is in fact good, all be able to simply understand it, Thanks a lot.
excellent points altogether, you just received a new reader. What would you recommend in regards to your post that you simply made some days in the past? Any positive?
Wow, fantastic blog layout! How long have you been blogging for? you make blogging look easy. The overall look of your site is magnificent, let alone the content!
I have to point out my gratitude for your kindness supporting folks that have the need for help with that topic. Your very own dedication to getting the solution up and down ended up being pretty significant and have encouraged men and women like me to attain their goals. Your personal useful publication entails this much to me and far more to my office colleagues. Thanks a ton; from all of us.
Iˇve been exploring for a little bit for any high-quality articles or weblog posts on this kind of space . Exploring in Yahoo I eventually stumbled upon this site. Studying this info So iˇm glad to show that I have an incredibly good uncanny feeling I discovered exactly what I needed. I such a lot indisputably will make sure to do not forget this web site and give it a look on a constant basis.
My brother suggested I might like this web site. He was totally right. This post actually made my day. You cann’t imagine just how much time I had spent for this information! Thanks!
Great tremendous things here. I am very satisfied to look your article. Thank you so much and i am having a look ahead to contact you. Will you please drop me a e-mail?
As a Newbie, I am continuously searching online for articles that can be of assistance to me. Thank you
I simply couldn’t leave your web site before suggesting that I really loved the usual information a person provide for your visitors? Is gonna be again often in order to check out new posts
I was just seeking this information for some time. After six hours of continuous Googleing, finally I got it in your site. I wonder what’s the lack of Google strategy that don’t rank this type of informative web sites in top of the list. Generally the top sites are full of garbage.
I for all time emailed this web site post page to all my associates, since if like to read it then my links will too.
Well I definitely enjoyed reading it. This information offered by you is very helpful for correct planning.
You made some good points there. I did a search on the topic and found most individuals will approve with your site.
It’s the best time to make some plans for the future and it’s time to be happy. I’ve read this post and if I could I wish to suggest you some interesting things or advice. Maybe you could write next articles referring to this article. I want to read even more things about it!
Great, thanks for sharing this blog.Much thanks again. Much obliged.
I havenˇt checked in here for some time as I thought it was getting boring, but the last few posts are great quality so I guess Iˇll add you back to my everyday bloglist. You deserve it my friend 🙂
This is very interesting, You are a very skilled blogger. I have joined your feed and look forward to seeking more of your excellent post. Also, I’ve shared your site in my social networks!
My brother recommended I might like this blog. He was totally right. This post truly made my day. You can not imagine just how much time I had spent for this info! Thanks!
Really informative article.Much thanks again. Great.
Magnificent beat ! I wish to apprentice while you amend your website, how could i subscribe for a blog website? The account helped me a acceptable deal. I had been a little bit acquainted of this your broadcast provided bright clear idea
Good blog! I really love how it is simple on my eyes and the data are well written. I am wondering how I might be notified when a new post has been made. I’ve subscribed to your RSS feed which must do the trick! Have a great day!
Hey, thanks for the blog article.Really looking forward to read more. Really Great.
As a Newbie, I am continuously browsing online for articles that can help me. Thank you
This video post is truly impressive, the echo feature and the picture feature of this tape post is in fact awesome.
Inspiring quest there. What occurred after? Take care!
We’re a group of volunteers and opening a new scheme in our community. Your web site provided us with valuable information to work on. You’ve done an impressive job and our whole community will be grateful to you.
As a Newbie, I am always searching online for articles that can aid me. Thank you
Hello. magnificent job. I did not imagine this. This is a great story. Thanks!
Hi my loved one! I want to say that this article is awesome, great written and come with approximately all significant infos. I would like to see more posts like this .
Thank you for the good writeup. It in fact was a amusement account it. Look advanced to far added agreeable from you! By the way, how could we communicate?
Hey there, You’ve done an incredible job. I will certainly digg it and personally suggest to my friends. I am sure they’ll be benefited from this website.
I would like to thank you for the efforts you have put in writing this site. I’m hoping the same high-grade web site post from you in the upcoming as well. Actually your creative writing abilities has encouraged me to get my own site now. Actually the blogging is spreading its wings quickly. Your write up is a great example of it.