By purchasing a Relate Bracelet at R34 you contribute to women and child development in the country. (Image: Spur Foundation)
The pride of many African families is securing their children a future through education, and the Spur Foundation and Relate Bracelets is helping people to achieve this.
Research conducted by The Clothing Bank, a Spur Foundation partner, asking 100 women in South African townships how their lives had changed since they had a steady income, resoundingly showed that their quality of living was vastly improved. And while their lives had improved generally, the one aspect that made all of them proud was that they could provide a better education for their children.
With this in mind, the Spur Foundation is working with Relate Bracelets on an endeavour to raise R750 000. The cash will be used to set up micro franchises that will empower single mothers to earn a living and so afford a better education for their children.
The aim of the campaign is to reiterate the values of the late Nelson Mandela by getting 67 000 people to help change the lives of South African families. People are encouraged to buy a Relate Bracelet for R30 from the Spur family of brands – Spur Steak Ranches, Panarottis and John Dory’s.
“It’s already proven to be a remarkably successful campaign in a short space of time, as more than 30 000 bracelets have sold,” said Neil Robinson, the chief executive of Relate Bracelets. “The fact that so many bracelets have sold in a matter of weeks is an incredible success story for Relate, and it shows that there is a huge consumer appetite for helping others.”
TRICKLE-DOWN EFFECT
The women who do the beadwork for the bracelets, are mostly pensioners, and many of them care for children orphaned by Aids. The young packers and closers, however, benefit the most as they are prepped for life outside the Spur Foundation initiatives.
“But they also help the cause they are sold in aid of, in our case the Spur Foundation and the beneficiaries we support. So a small spend goes a long way,” said Ronel van Dijk, the chairperson of the Spur Foundation.
Once 67 000 bracelets have been sold, the Spur Foundation will use the money to focus on early childhood development and empowering South African families.
“We want to use funds raised for early childhood development, but we recognise that there are many single mothers out there in the townships who cannot afford quality education for their children. What we would like to do is utilise funds to develop a franchising model for townships for a food offering that will enable single mothers to earn a living and to pay for quality education for their children,” she added.
GIVING TO SINGLE MOTHERS
Working with organisations like the Asha Trust and The Clothing Bank’s Micro Franchise Accelerator, the Spur Foundation has learned that about 70% of children in townships are being brought up by single mothers or grandmothers, with little or no help from the fathers.
“The franchisees will predominantly be young mothers and the income they earn from the micro franchises we help them empower themselves to set their children up for a better education, and life, by being able to send them to early childhood development centres – also franchised by The Clothing Bank’s Micro Franchise Accelerator,” Van Dijk said.
The Spur Foundation believes this will be a long-term partnership, with the micro franchises first rolled out carefully in selected areas and later countrywide once the model proves itself.
“What if,” Robinson asked, “every employed South African spent just R35 on one bracelet each year? That would mean close to a quarter of a billion rand towards these causes annually, with this easy to do, small spend impacting on our country in a big way. It could result in a big dent in our country’s problems.”
