Following the successful acquisition of a parcel of land earlier this year, the Design26 Foundation has launched a buy-a-brick campaign to help fund the construction of a community skills centre.
Facilitated by BackaBuddy, the campaign’s goal is to raise the funds needed to build a sewing skills training centre in Harmony Village.
Founded by local designer Suraya Williams (46), the Design26 Foundation aims to empower young women in the greater Mitchell’s Plain area to become financially self-sufficient.
Williams rediscovered her gift and passion for sewing and design after her mother’s passing on her birthday. In 2018, she founded the Design26 Foundation to provide skills, work opportunities and a positive outlook to young women in the community.
“The lack of job opportunities and the prevalence of drugs, alcohol and abuse can make it difficult for young women to see a positive future,” Williams says.
“The Design26 Foundation aims to break this cycle by providing training and employment opportunities to young women in our community.”
The centre will be built on a parcel of land previously owned by the City of Cape Town. It was officially transferred to the foundation at the end of January.
“After starting the sewing skills training out of my garage in 2018, we quickly ran out of space and did not anticipate the huge interest in sewing, but I knew there was a great need for skills development and employment in the Mitchell’s Plain community. In 2019, I started utilising free space in a separate entrance on my home property, but that also became too small very quickly as the need and number of interested young women just grew. I then decided to seek viable land or premises where we could expand and accommodate more applicants. This was a very tedious process. Finally, after following all the processes and procedures to buy land from the City, the sale agreement came to fruition on Thursday 26 January,” says Williams.
James Vos, Mayco member for economic growth, said in a statement that the transfer would be a big boost for the clothing and textile industry.
“I am pleased that Council agreed to the sale at a discounted rate because of the long-term social and economic benefits of the training centre to the surrounding community and the metro at large,” says Vos in a statement.
“It was my pleasure to put before Council another item that it authorised: the transfer to the Western Cape Provincial Government of 39 land parcels designated and used as schools.”
Because the land is used for schooling purposes, the City will not derive any financial gain from the transfer of the property. However, the transfers will indirectly support economic growth in the long term because it will allow the schools easier access to the necessary maintenance resources, which will create a more secure environment for learning, says Vos.
The foundation is seeking to raise R20 million to develop the “Hope Community Skills Centre and Manufacturing Plant” in Mitchell’s Plain. The funds will be used to purchase land from the City and construct a building that will house the centre and manufacturing plant. The centre will have classrooms, training facilities and equipment for sewing and design.
“After providing young girls with the service of custom-made matric dance dresses. I would follow up on them after matric results were released. I learned that most of these young girls did not have the financial resources to further their studies. Some of them could not find employment due to a lack of skills and work experience and, in the saddest cases, some had been affected by teenage pregnancies even before reaching matric. I could relate to these obstacles growing up in Mitchell’s Plain with very little to no direct opportunities being available post matric and the barriers to finding employment,” she says.
“I realised how quickly you can become reduced to your circumstances, subjected to the social ills affecting Mitchell’s Plain without the presence of sufficient role models or mentors. With first-hand experience, passion and the gift I was born with, I was determined to make a difference in the lives of young girls in my community and leave a legacy of hope for generations to come.”
To achieve their objective, Williams and the Design26 Foundation are appealing to the public to collaborate with them in creating a better future for the youth of South Africa.
One way to contribute is by donating a brick for R100 or by committing to a monthly contribution through the crowdfunding platform BackaBuddy. Donors who are comfortable being acknowledged will have their names displayed on a donor board at the new centre.
“We believe that by providing training and employment opportunities, we can give young women the tools they need to succeed. Let’s make a difference together,” says Williams.
The erf is around 1 640 m2 and will include classrooms consisting of a free beginners class for young girls between the ages of 15 and 20, a beginners class for women over the age of 20, and pattern making and advanced classes open to any age group, says Williams.
“My hope is for these young girls to follow in my footsteps and I would want to be the example and role model for girls in my community. I would be leaving a legacy for them and they would leave a legacy for the next generation, Sadaqah Jariyah (a long-term kindness that accrues ongoing reward from Allah (SWT)). With a bigger building, we would be able to increase our application intake from 15 to 85,” she says.
“We also want to make use of compliant local service providers and project managers to assist with the development and construction of the new building. A total of 50 new jobs will be created as well as a constant flow of new entrepreneurs entering the market, contributing even more positively to the current unemployment crisis – especially for people living in the Cape Flats area.”
Classes are currently on hold as a result of the load-shedding crisis and plans for the new building.
“Once registration opens, we will advertise on all social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and TikTok. We depend on our contacts on these platforms to refer to young women who do not have access to a smartphone or internet connection. Girls between the ages of 15 and 20 will reach out to us and we provide them with an application to complete for us to ensure the most vulnerable and needy applicants receive first privilege. Training is offered free to young girls between the stipulated ages and we also provide paid classes to women over the age that are more affording. We currently have two facilitators,” says Williams
- Support this campaign on BackaBuddy: https://www.backabuddy.co.za/design-26-foundation
- Alternatively, donate via Snapscan: https://pos.snapscan.io/qr/Design_26_Foundation
