The Baby Hamper project was specifically initiated to help needy and vulnerable infants in the communities with clothing but now includes children of all ages. Thusong Projects asks for donations of used and new clothing from different stakeholders and the public in general – the clothing is then washed, sorted and packed and donated to needy children in the communities.
Our Crafts Room was created to provide training in different crafts to unemployed community members. Having started with basic sewing classes, the intention is to broaden this to other crafts. We also support organisations that do crafts work with a variety of raw materials such as wool, loom sets, beads, paints, and brushes.
In 2018, Thusong ran a 12-Month training programme for 60 participants, including 22 people with disabilities. Most have been offered permanent job opportunities at ArcelorMittal South Africa and other companies. Our 2019 intake included 37 people and we hope to extend this benefit to many other community members in the coming years.