At the center of Cape Town sits Green Market Square – a bustling market filled with curios from all over the African continent. It is a magnet for Cape Town’s tourists, who typically number over 5 million per year. When the Covid-19 pandemic hit, South Africa went into lockdown: borders were closed, tourists stopped coming, and many market vendors were left with no source of income at all. 

Some of these market vendors are members of Scalabrini’s Women’s Platform. With the need to adapt and provide for their families, they came together and quickly tapped into the demand for masks.

According to findings from National Income Dynamics Coronavirus Rapid Mobile Survey, women are disproportionality affected by the economic crisis  caused by the pandemic. This was seen not only in South Africa, but around the world.  

The five women – Eulali, Jeanette, Kelly, Tina and Therese – who have been part of Women’s Platform for the last few years, realised that they needed to make a plan to support themselves and their families in the time of lockdown.  

“We thought it would maybe be one month. Before the lockdown I sold some things that I thought would carry me through,” says Theresa when reflecting on the start of lockdown. 

“Before lockdown started, I had my own business, which was a sewing school.  I trained Somali ladies how to sew at the Somali Association in Belville.” Jeanette was training eight women at her school before the lockdown started and the other four women were traders at markets around Cape Town.  

With lockdown upon them, this group of women faced an unsure future. They had trained to sew certain things that, under lockdown, were not going to be sold. In a moment of brilliance, they came together and made a plan: to start a mask-sewing business. 

“I learnt to make the masks because of what is going on in the world.” Eulali echoes what was said by each of the other women. Together, the group of five women approached Women’s Platform for assistance with marketing and selling the masks.   

Jitske from Women’s Platform helped the women with marketing, to find more buyers and with the delivery and collection of the masks. Through the use of social media, over 500 masks were sold and over 200 were donated through cooperation with the Tamboerskloof Community Action Network, where they were then donated to people in Zwelitsha and the Tamboerskloof area. Kelly speaks of making masks to help other people protect themselves. “The lockdown shows me that I have a responsibility toward other people.” Tina shared this sentiment; “I made some masks for donation that I took to the hospital. I also give some to people on the road who don’t have masks. I went to the church yesterday and gave some masks to people who I can see don’t have good masks or don’t have any masks.”  

 

Although the sales of masks have slowed down now, they were the boost the women needed to adapt and come up with new ideas. Jeanette is looking at moving her sewing classes online, Kelly is aiming to launch her new clothing designs for children in November, and the other women have their own business ideas brewing.  

In a group discussion hosted by Women’s Platform, more stories were shared by women who have adapted their businesses under lockdown. Stories were shared by a woman who was active in the transport business and shifted from transporting kids to delivering food when schools were closed. Another businesswoman went from selling burgers to restaurants, to making and selling bread.  

One lesson that has been learnt during the lockdown is that “every success story is a tale of constant adaption, revision and change.” – Richard Branson 

**Since this article was written the women have had another order come in for 200 sling bags and 400 masks.  

 

A warm, friendly voice on the other end of the phone, with echoes of children playing and talking in the background – Divine instantly makes you feel like you are talking to an old friend. Leaving her home country of DRC and her eventual arrival in South Africa were both journeys mired in fear. But Divine is a resilient, determined woman; she has taught herself English, raised a family, found jobs in all sorts of sectors and has used this experience and various online sessions from Employment Access to find a job during Covid-19. She wants to share her success and resilience with other women and eventually start her own business.  

Often, a barrier to integration is language. In Divine’s case, her lack of English actually helped her land her first job! “I could only say ‘good morning’. But Cross Trainer hired me because I spoke French – and that’s where I started learning English!” Divine started working at the Cross Trainer in Cape Town’s International Airport during the 2010 World Cup. It was here that her dreams of starting her own business began. 

Divine was an accountant at a big supermarket back home in Lubumbashi. Her father was a CEO, but because of ethnic fighting her father lost his job. Following this, Divine and her eldest sister fled to South Africa after being attacked in their home. The journey was long and potholed: what agents promised to be a few days took more than a week – with Divine and her sister being arrested at one point – while their family had no idea where they were. 

Although things seemed difficult on initial arrival in South Africa (Divine and her sister were victims of an armed home invasion) – Divine has managed to build a beautiful life. Having built up stability in South Africa, Divine is now focused on achieving her goals and assisting other women. 

After leaving Cross Trainer, Divine worked in various different companies and positions. From an assistant manager at King Pie to a sales assistant at Exotic Persians, Divine has gained experience in an array of careers – which has helped her to find her current employment. “I like the hospitality world and I am definitely a people’s person,” she remarks, reflecting on her ultimate role as a guesthouse manager. 

After Divine took maternity leave from the guesthouse, she approached Scalabrini. She accessed the Advocacy Programme, then the Women’s Platform and then Employment Access – who helped Divine find employment during lockdown. When South Africa went into lockdown, Employment Access started various online sessions for clients aimed at getting them ready for successful job applications once the lockdown eased. Divine joined many of these sessions including ‘Interview Questions Discussion’ and FUNZI courses (a platform that offers free Job Readiness courses). With the preparation and support offered to Divine from Employment Access – she went into her interview with confidence and got the job as Front of House Manager at a guesthouse – with the employer being particularly impressed that Divine had completed a Covid-19 course.  

Divine is now working this job with her business dream in mind. “I would like to start a sewing business. I’m good with outfits and evening wear, so I would like to start something where I can make lots of different things, and then help others who are also looking for jobs. I won’t let a woman like me just sit at home. I can help them and we can work together.” 

Like many in South Africa and across the world, lockdown has been difficult time for Divine. It had the potential to derail her plans. “Lockdown was very stressful. We have three kids and my husband is still not back at work. They were sending invoices for school fees, the kids need to eat, and I need to buy nappies for the little one.”  

With the help of Employment Access and her dedication to the sessions offered by them, Divine is working again and can set her mind at ease. “I’m enjoying it and I’m learning more every day. I like learning. Before starting my own thing, it’s good to see how to run a business – from what I’m doing today, I will be able to run my own thing.” 

 

Welcome to our global #FarFromHome series: reflections on covid-19 lockdown from people who are are far from their family and home-country. We hope this brings comfort and reassurance. We chat to Gurmu, from Ethiopia, who lives in Scotland.

What thoughts have guided you through the covid-19 lockdown? It’s quite a scary situation for all humans, whoever we are and wherever we are in the world. I think all humans are together in one ‘self-isolation path’.

Has anything brought you hope or inspiration at this time?  I think everyone is now aware, subconsciously, of our humanity.

What other emotions has this period brought for you? I feel worthless in that we can’t help or support each other. I thank technology that enables us to stay connected remotely each other.

Are you connected to people in your home country? I now spend my time connected to the internet. I equip myself with up to date information, then I share this information with people that need it, like my families and friends back home in Ethiopia.  

What good qualities has lock-down brought out in you? It has enabled me to work and study remotely, updating myself with the current situations where the world at, and stay connected to people.

What characteristics of yourself have you relied on to get through this time? I can say that I am a disciplined and well organised person, I respect the rules and restrictions, and I think this definitely helps everyone.

Has this experience changed your interaction with your neighbours or community? Yes, there used to be a personal or physical interaction in the community, but that had to stop. However, we are still bonding … remotely.

What would be your advice to those people facing loneliness at this time? If you are lonely right now: keep a strong, bright hope in your heart, and tomorrow will be yours. There are many of us in the same situation. Try to break the barriers: stay connected with others, and don’t give up. 

What is your message to people who are living Far From Home during this time? I have this message for the people who are far from their homeland like me: This is unprecedented time in our life, and for our planet. It is time to think about humanity. Keep your solidarity strong, and look after each other please.

Made possible with the participation from the Mental Health Foundation, who has specific resources on mental health during the covid-19 lockdown.

Welcome to our global #FarFromHome series: reflections on covid-19 lockdown from people who are are far from their family and home-country. We hope this brings comfort and reassurance. We chat to Adam, from Syria, who lives in Scotland.

What brings you inspiration at this time? In my opinion, I hope that God should always accompany us, so I always hope that everyone will be in excellent health and great psychological well-being.

What characteristics of yourself have you relied on to get through this tough time?
I have discipline built in myself, and discipline is best needed to achieve patience, steadfastness and replace negative energies with positive ones.

What keeps you motivated during lockdown? I keep busy with reading books and practicing sports as well as participating in groups to talk about topics aimed at spreading tips in society to benefit everyone.

What other emotions has this period brought for you? It is normal for some people to feel a sort of fear, myself included, and my fear led me to be more protective so that I can protect myself and people around me. But we cannot escape reality: life continues and the problem should be recognized first and not escaping from it.

What in your life history has made you better able to deal with this situation? In times of crisis, I feel the challenge which makes me more powerful. Despite challenge, boredom and laziness in this period, by taking advantage of my time in doing useful and entertaining things, I will be able to cope.

Has this experience changed your interaction with your neighbours or community? This tough experience brought me closer to people by communicating with them through social media as the work pressures in non-crisis times did not grant me enough time to communicate.

What is your message to people who are living Far From Home during this time? My advice or message is the following: If we think a little and ask ourselves what the positive results of unity are, we will realize that our best bet is to get rid of the negativity in us by replacing it with other positive things. We must have hope and optimism at this time and stay strong to maintain our health. Life only continues with hope and love between us.

Made possible with the participation from the Mental Health Foundation, who has specific resources on mental health during the covid-19 lockdown.