The Vuma My Community Connects competition has closed off on a high note, with The Valley of Blessings, a non-profit aimed at empowering women from under-resourced communities, winning first place and R20,000. The competition sought to highlight and support local social innovators making a positive impact in their communities.
After extensive deliberations over hundreds of worthy applications, The Valley of Blessings stood out for their dedication to uplifting and empowering vulnerable women with their innovative programme that will create lasting change in these women’s lives. The non-profit will use the R20,000 to help fund sewing skills courses for female victims of abuse in the community.
“This is my first time winning anything. I was overwhelmed. It’s an awesome feeling to know that each of our current trainees will be able to graduate with their own sewing machine thanks to this prize,” says Reverend Shelter Matsa, CEO of The Valley of Blessings.
Breaking the cycle
The Valley of Blessings was born out of a crisis that the Reverend noticed while working with the Olievenhoutbosch community, in Centurion. Following the Covid-19 crisis and subsequent lockdowns, cases of domestic violence against women were on the rise as a result of male partners being home more often.
“We provided meals for up to 600 people after the pandemic hit. I would speak with the women while they were in line for food parcels, and I noticed bruises on their bodies. As I prayed with them, they opened up to me about their situations at home, and that’s when I realised that I needed to help them,” says Matsa.
Sewing classes allowed the women, who had no other means of earning a living, to learn valuable skills. According to the Reverend, this gave them an option to be able to leave their abusive partners and create a better future for themselves. Matsa funded the initiative out of her own pocket, with the generosity of family and friends, and with the occasional help from local businesses. In 2022, she was able to register the course, allowing participants to graduate with an accredited qualification.
“What makes it exciting for me and why I keep on doing it is seeing the difference it makes in the lives of these women and watching them grow in confidence,” she says. “My dream is to own a farm where we can teach agricultural skills, as well as trade skills like welding for men,” she says.
According to Taylor Kwong, Head of Marketing at Vuma, this win is just one of the ways in which Vuma shows its commitment to empowering ordinary people to be extraordinary. “Stories like Reverend Matsa’s fuel our company ethos, which states, Because we can, we must. Seeing a need in her community, she acted with determination and compassion. Even though the competition is now over, our work continues. We will continue to uncover and embrace all South African communities creating inspiring stories, and programmes that drive social innovation and positive change.
Along the journey, Vuma has recognised many talented individuals in communities such as Soweto, Alexandra and Mitchells Plain. Our heartfelt congratulations and well wishes go to The Valley of Blessings on their well-deserved win.”
