Tracey Chambers of The Clothing Bank (theclothingbank.org.za)
Region: Africa
Country: South Africa
Focus: Women empowerment
The Clothing Bank provides unemployed mothers with a path out of poverty by training them to become self-employed businesswomen. Unemployed single mothers are recruited from townships across South Africa and are enrolled in a two-year training programme. The Clothing Bank has a strict admission policy serving only the most disadvantaged and runs a rigorous application process where mothers have to apply to enter the program. The two-year programme includes modules such as money management, business skills and mentoring by business leaders, as well as life coaching and counselling. The Clothing Bank counts 1240 women as graduates, with the capacity to have 800 women in the two-year program. Since 2010, these women have collectively generated income for their families of more than $2.5 million USD.
