Some of the students carry the new tools along with their managers. From left: Fiona Bhawuli (supervisor), Nomawethu Ngxangane, Thandeka Arens, Sizeka Maliwa Bongeka Qalase and Rainbow Education and Skills Development program manager Nokubonga Mepeni.
On Wednesday, January 31, non-profit organization (NPO) Rainbow Education and Skills Development received sanitation tools from Arm In Arm In Africa (AIAIA), an international NPO that equips organizations in need with new opportunities and tools. AIAIA supplied RESD with, among other things, two spades, two spirit levels and three toolboxes with plumbing sets.
Prolonged water leaks due to financial difficulties could soon be a thing of the past thanks to training offered by Rainbow Education and Skills Development (RESD).
On Wednesday, January 31, the non-profit organization (NPO) received sanitation tools from Arm In Arm In Africa (AIAIA), an international NPO that provides new opportunities and tools to organizations in need. AIAIA supplied RESD with, among other things, two spades, two spirit levels and three toolboxes with plumbing sets.
The handover took place at the JL Zwane Church in Gugulethu.
Nokubonga Mepeni, program manager at RESD, said the equipment meant a lot as the organization had struggled to procure tools for its trainees.
“As an organization, we have been training women in the sanitation sector since 2020,” she emphasized, and have trained a total of 55 women. “This year we decided to send part of the class of 2023 to an internship for a week. We divided them into groups. We have seven groups, each lasting one week, consisting of seven trainees and a rotating supervisor.
They began last week and should be completed by the end of April, Mepeni said.
She added that only the most disadvantaged families would be eligible for such training.
“We only help those families who have major problems and cannot afford to hire plumbers to repair their pipes. We first visit the family and assess the problem, then we purchase the equipment needed without charging a cent.”
She said the goal is to equip them to work independently instead of waiting for employment.
One of the trainees, Thandeka Arens, noted how the experience strengthened her.
She said she doesn't need to ask anyone to help her with little things.
“Now I can repair or replace a faucet, sink or toilet bowl without asking anyone. Now I can help people in my community.”
Aren encouraged other women to step out of their comfort zone and have new beneficial experiences.
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