Meet a Clothing Maker from South Africa!!

Meet Stella - a worker at Bug Zoo

Above is a picture of one of the areas (Townships) where the women live.

As many of you know, the clothing that I sell on my website, Hippos Toes, is all made in South Africa. Not only are the clothes made there, but the cotton is also grown there. So the clothing is all 100% from South Africa. In addition to being unique and adorable, the best thing about the clothing is the ladies that make it. As I've mentioned many times before :), the ladies that make the clothes all come from very disadvantaged areas in South Africa, called Townships. We would call them slums here in the US. There are very limited income opportunities for these sweet ladies, they are often relegated to being domestics (housekeepers) or nannies. They are oftentimes the sole means of support in their families as well. So it is important that they have reliable and steady income. Not to mention good paying work and good working conditions. That is where the clothing manufacturer comes in. Bug Zoo works with an organization in South Africa that locates these women in these areas and offers them employment at Bug Zoo. Many of them have many years of experience as sewers and seamstresses and they can put this talent to work at Bug Zoo making the children's clothing. A majority of the women cannot read or write, but they can sew. And they can sew beautifully. Bug Zoo either brings them in to their facility to work or helps them purchase sewing machines and they work from a communal area in their Township. It is a beautiful story and the reason that I fell in love with Bug Zoo and why I am honored and priveleged to bring you these adorable fair trade children's clothes. The US market allows them much more opportunities to sell their work, which allows more of them to be employed and that makes my heart happy. I hope you feel the same.

So, without further ado, I would like to introduce you to our second featured worker at Bug Zoo: Stella.

Stella is widowed with one daughter and her daughter is matriculating this year and is a talented artist. Stella lives with her sister in Cape Town during the week, but travels to her daughter and home in Wittewater on the weekends- small rural community 2 hours from Cape Town. Stella is our cutter and she is responsible for cutting all the garments from the patterns and then passed on to the machinists to be made. Stella started her career as a cutter 25 years ago- she used to be a machinist, but prefers the cutting.(she made her daughters matric farewell dress). Stella has been at Bug Zoo for 3 years. Stella loves the view from the building as it looks over the Cape Town harbour. Stella enjoys spending time with her daughter at home and loves working on her home inside and out.

A note from Bug Zoo: Stella is very energetic and never stops, she zips around Bug Zoo from the time she arrives to the time she leaves. She is also a very hard worker.

All Bug Zoo staff are dedicated staff who put in more that we ask for and we are very lucky to have them. We are a small team, but they are an incredible team that we are proud to have and proud to be able to give them employment as this is a very tough industry to be in as we compete with other countries like China, Bangladesh etc. We believe in the value of human rights and the right to earn an income that will enable them to support their families. It is important to remember that SA does not have a social security system and live is very hard for those who do not have a job. I hope to feature different workers on my blog so you can get to know a little about them and why I feel so strongly in Bug Zoo and these unique children's clothes.

Hostility in South Africa

Photo by Karin Brulliard-The Washington Post

As many of you know, South Africa is very special to me. My visit there two years ago really opened my eyes to that country and the issues that are plaguing them. When I open the paper I always look to see what is happening there politically and socially.

The following is based on a recent Washington Post article:

Recently there has been an influx of violence that has been directed towards immigrants. These immigrants come from other African countries such as Somalia, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia and Congo, to name a few, to make better lives for themselves in South Africa. They have more opportunities than they did in the countries they left. Many of these immigrants were brutally attacked in South Africa’s slums this past spring.

Five months ago more than 60 people were killed in anti-foreigner beatings and burnings in South Africa. Immigrants have since sought refuge in government-run encampments to protect them after these brutal attacks spread through the slum areas where they lived. Many of the poorer people live in what are called townships, that we know as slums. Their homes are typically made from corrugated metal with tin roofs. They are lucky if they have electricity.

The refugee-style encampments where the immigrants sought refuge run contrary to Africa’s most developed country. Recently the government has torn down these encampments saying that neighborhoods are safe again. But many immigrants do not agree with that statement. They say that the South African government has done little tackle this long standing hostility towards immigrants.

Apparently the government has left the camps to civic groups to distribute aid and grants to help the displaced get back on their feet. But there are so many internal struggles going on with the government ruling party in South Africa that the plight of the foreigners has been virtually ignored. There has not been any type of investigation into the violence against these people. Of course there is great fear that this type of hostility and violence will happen again since it hasn’t been dealt with in the first place.

A majority of foreigners who are targeted are Somalis, legal refugees that run shops in townships. Many refuse to leave these encampments, even though they have been dismantled. They choose to stay even though the camps look like junkyards with mattresses and piles of clothing strewn about. They are afraid to go back to their homes saying they would rather be killed there than go back home and be killed.
Despite its wrenching poverty, South Africa is among Africa’s richest countries. Many immigrants, 3 million to 5 million, migrate there seeking jobs as mineworkers, or escaping conflict in their own countries. Many South Africans view these immigrants as competition for jobs.

It seems this issue is not high on the agenda of issues that the leadership has to deal with, so they are basically turning a blind eye.

I know that we have problems here in our own country, but I cannot comprehend living with this type of fear. Fear that my family will be killed, beaten or bludgeoned to death and nobody will do anything about it. How is that right and just? Who is going to help these poor people that just want to live and provide for their families?

Meet a Clothing Maker from South Africa....

Meet Miriam - a worker at Bug Zoo

Above is a picture of one of the areas (Townships) where the women live.
As many of you know the clothing that I sell on my website, Hippos Toes, is all made in South Africa. Not only are the clothes made there, but the cotton is also grown there. So the clothing is all 100% from South Africa. In addition to being unique and adorable, the best thing about the clothing is the ladies that make it.

As I've mentioned many times before :), the ladies that make the clothes all come from very disadvantaged areas in South Africa, called Townships. We would call them slums here in the US. There are very limited income opportunities for these sweet ladies, they are often relegated to being domestics (housekeepers) or nannies. They are oftentimes the sole means of support in their families as well. So it is important that they have reliable and steady income. Not to mention good paying work and good working conditions. That is where the clothing manufacturer comes in. Bug Zoo works with an organization in South Africa that locates these women in these areas and offers them employment at Bug Zoo. Many of them have many years of experience as sewers and seamstresses and they can put this talent to work at Bug Zoo making the children's clothing.

A majority of the women cannot read or write, but they can sew. And they can sew beautifully. Bug Zoo either brings them in to their facility to work or helps them purchase sewing machines and they work from a communal area in their Township. It is a beautiful story and the reason that I fell in love with Bug Zoo and why I am honored and priveleged to bring you these adorable fair trade children's clothes.

The US market allows them much more opportunities to sell their work, which allows more of them to be employed and that makes my heart happy. I hope you feel the same.

So, without further ado, I would like to introduce you to our first featured worker at Bug Zoo: Miriam.

Miriam is divorced with 4 kids and lives in Mitchells Plein(a small community in Cape Town)- 3 son and 2 daughters. All her sons are out of the house and her daughter has started her first year of communication studies- she is very proud of her children. Miriam is the sole breadwinner.

Miriam started her career as a machinist in 1975 at a factory in Cape Town. She has been with Bug Zoo for 3 years.

She loves the working environment at Bug Zoo- although it can be pressurized, it is far better than being in a factory

Miriam enjoys sewing and even sews in her spare time- she also enjoys shopping and spending time with her family(she has 9 brothers and sisters)

A note from Bug Zoo: Miriam is one of the most dedicated employees we have and is an incredibly strong woman who has been through tough times- always positive and she has values that we all aspire to. All Bug Zoo staff are dedicated staff who put in more that we ask for and we are very lucky to have them. We are a small team, but they are an incredible team that we are proud to have and proud to be able to give them employment as this is a very tough industry to be in as we compete with other countries like China, Bangladesh etc. We believe in the value of human rights and the right to earn an income that will enable them to support their families. It is important to remember that SA does not have a social security system and live is very hard for those who do not have a job.

I hope to feature different workers on my blog so you can get to know a little about them and why I feel so strongly in Bug Zoo and these unique children's clothes.

South African lover.....like me......

Met a darling lady yesterday at a restaurant where I was ducking in from the rain that popped up out of nowhere. Had my little guy in his stroller so we made a fast break for this little coffee shop/bistro type of restaurant. Anyhoo, I noticed this older couple, and the husband had a South Africa t-shirt on. I couldn’t resist, I had to ask if they were from SA. Turns out they have visited there several times, Durban and Capetown. They absolutely love it, as do my husband and myself. We got to talking about the country and how beautiful It is and how gentle and innocent the people are. Of course we also discussed the crime issue. South Africa does have issues with crime, which is unfortunate, because it is such an incredible country. Well it turns out that out that she has a niece living there. Basically we just chatting for about 15-20 minutes about the country and how much we love it. Of course I told her about Hippos Toes and the clothing line that I sell that is made by local women living in the townships. http://tinyurl.com/5j4sva

She was so excited about it. She has been to the townships so she understands the need for income opportunities that these people face. Especially the women that do not have many opportunities to earn an income and they have children and families to support. Oftentimes, they are the sole breadwinner in their families so they must find work that pays a fair and honest wage under good working conditions. That is what the manufacturer of these clothes provides. They can employ from 50+ women, depending upon the orders. My goal is to employ as many of these women as I can, that is why I am selling their clothing. Not only are the designs unique and adorable but the quality and workmanship is excellent. And most importantly it employs these women so that they can earn money to feed and clothe their own families. I am going to try to do some “interviews” with some of these women an feature them on my blog periodically so that you can get to know the women that make these incredible clothes, and that you will come to care about them as much as I do.

I’ve rambled on enough for today. I was just so re-energized after speaking with that kind women yesterday that I felt the need to tell you all about it too.

Please be sure to visit my website on October 9th and see the adorable clothes for yourself. It’s not too early to start thinking about Christmas (smile). Sign up for my newsletter! I am planning to have a giveaway as well at launch time so you must come back for that!