As we celebrate the importance of women in our families and communities this Women’s Month, Vulamathuba Empumelelo is playing its part by empowering five women from previously marginalised communities through its Learnership Programme. This programme allows Zingisa Mbiko, Nomvuyo Gcaza, Perm Mtshali, Tuliswa Mhlakaza, and Naeela Green to complete a Further Education and Training Certificate in Social Auxiliary Work Level 4.

How it works
Vulamathuba Empumelelo funds this FET certificate through the Economic Mobility Programme for beneficiaries to gain access to PIVOTAL programmes, helping them to complete an accredited qualification and increase their probability of employment and the potential of an increase in earnings.
The learners are completing their qualification through Continuing Education for Africa (CEFA). Since this qualification requires them to spend 70% of their training in the field, three learners are completing their practical work at the South African Education Project (SAEP) as the host employer. At the same time, the remaining two are placed with Lovelife and Vulamathuba. These learners also receive a stipend in addition to their funded study costs.

Bountiful benefits
The prospect of an increased income to provide a better life for her and her two daughters motivates Zingisa Mbiko from Philippi to succeed in this learnership. Zingisa says, “Working and studying simultaneously works for me because I can now achieve my goal of getting a qualification, having an income, and still being able to spend quality time with my children.”

Zingisa’s dream is to get permanent employment and ensure a more stable and secure future for her and her children. She feels this qualification is a stepping stone to bigger and better things and intends to continue studying until all her dreams become a reality.

Nomvuyo Gcaza, a 39-year-old mother of three from Eerste River, has always dreamt of making a difference in her community but needed the financial means to study towards a qualification that would give her the skills to make a significant impact. “This Vulamathuba Learnership means a lot to me. It positively impacted my life, allowing me to be in the field I like.” She hopes that after obtaining the qualification, she can implement what she has studied and change the lives of young people in marginalised communities.

Pam Mtshali, known as Perm due to a spelling error on her birth certificate, has overcome many hardships, including single parenthood at eighteen and having to forgo after-school studies to earn an income to support her child. Through hard work and perseverance, she was able to work herself into a management position in the retail industry. Despite this achievement, she still wanted to improve and have more purpose in her life, and this qualification is providing that platform. “This course will change my life because even now, I can see the change in me; how I think about others has changed. I now understand people better.”

Anyone interested in learning more about the social auxiliary work qualification CEFA offers can visit their website at https://www.cefa.co.za/.
To learn more about Vulamathuba Empumelelo funding opportunities, leadership, and more, visit www.vulamathuba.org.za/news/ or contact admin@vulamathuba.org.za