The Challenge
Lack of education, food, housing, health care, widows raising families on next to nothing... what a challenge! Unemployment is running over 45% with most of the unemployed being single mothers.
A Sewing student models
her apron & gloves.
A Solution for Some
In 2004 Pat Golbeck, missionary to South Africa, started a sewing school, 'Africa Can Sew', for single, disadvantaged women in Pretoria. These ladies are either single parents because of being widowed or immigrants without prospect of employment. Pat's goal was to teach them a marketable skill. She received some initial seed money to buy sewing machines and fix up an old shack, which was expanded in January 2007.
Jewelry bag sewn by a student of
"Africa Can Sew".
Some ladies from the first graduating class have started their own businesses in South Africa.
Lack of education, food, housing, health care, widows raising families on next to nothing... what a challenge! Unemployment is running over 45% with most of the unemployed being single mothers.
A Sewing student models
her apron & gloves.
In 2004 Pat Golbeck, missionary to South Africa, started a sewing school, 'Africa Can Sew', for single, disadvantaged women in Pretoria. These ladies are either single parents because of being widowed or immigrants without prospect of employment. Pat's goal was to teach them a marketable skill. She received some initial seed money to buy sewing machines and fix up an old shack, which was expanded in January 2007.
Pat needs a market to sell the goods sewn by these ladies. 'With Love From Africa' sees this as another great opportunity to help, by importing completed products and selling them to customers in North America.
Jewelry bag sewn by a student of
"Africa Can Sew".
Click on 'Real People, Real Stories' to meet some of these talented ladies.
