SUCCESS STORIES

Nombuso Nguse Nombuso Nguse is a group member from Vulindlela. She says before she joined ACAT they used to grow crops, and eat the fruit off their trees, but did not understand that their agricultural activities were a business opportunity that could supplement their income. They simply depended on the father of the house to provide money for them. Since joining ACAT, she has been able to save and has purchased furniture and a sewing machine. She is now able to provide her family with enough food, make their clothing and buy school uniforms – all of which was a struggle beforehand. Click here to read more>> Fikile Sokhela Mrs Fikile Sokhela is an active and motivated Community Volunteer who has been in the ACAT programme for 2 ½ years. She joined the programme to learn new skills in agriculture, and how to manage a small business. She is a successful farmer of potatoes, mdumbes and carrots. She had a turnover of R4700 from her produce, and made a profit of R3100 from sales. She also distributes eggs. The turnover from the eggs is R1250 with a profit of R500. Click here to read more>> Dorah Masondo Mrs Dorah Masondo from Buhlebemvelo G5 at Entumeni is an active group member who is motivated and full of energy. She does not miss an opportunity to turn a good idea into a profitable one! She makes and sells calabash ladles, and freshly picked spinach from her garden, at the pension pay point. Click here to read more>> Sustainable homestead Mrs Ndlovu – a group member from Entumeni – has made every effort to be sustainable on her piece of land. Click here to read more>> Phindile Makhathini Phindile Makhathini, a young and active group member from Asithuthuke G5 in Mooi River, has a successful vegetable garden that supplies her with vegetables for home use, and excesses that she sells. Click here to read more>> Balungile Hlope Balungile Hlope of Siqalakabusha G5 at Vulindlela was motivated to join the programme after watching neighbours who were programme participants. She has a very successful vegetable garden from which she is able to sell vegetables, as well as feed her family. Click here to read more>> Encouraging small business With proper management, group members are able to establish successful small businesses – generating income for their families. Like this group member from Okhahlamba who has a small contract to make decorations for a particular brand of liquor. Click here to read more>> Mobilizing communities Mobilizing communities by grouping them, and encouraging them to make goals and strategies to overcome poverty is very powerful. One of the unforeseen outcomes is that once groups have started to successfully deal with their own critical situations, they become aware of the needs of others around them. Click here to read more>> Training multiplication ACAT is equipping Community Volunteers to run training workshops for the groups within their geographical areas. Click here to read more>> Savings and lending by empowering local groups Through the groups ACAT promotes a savings and lending scheme, which is gaining in popularity. The advantage of this system is that saving is encouraged, and loans are made from the group’s savings, thereby keeping money within the community. Click here to read more>> Skills to Address Poverty Course ACAT’s Leadership Skills to Address Poverty Course was held during May and June at the ACAT Centre. 53 participants attended the course from 9 countries (Haiti, Canada, Burundi, Malawi, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Swaziland, Zambia, and South Africa), representing over 20 organizations, and speaking 12 different languages! The weather was extremely cold, but the atmosphere during the three weeks was very warm and encouraging. Click here to read more>> Sqalakabusha Quilting Group This Group of 5 people were already involved in a quilting business when they met a community volunteer who referred them to the ACAT extension officer for assistance as they realised they were not achieving success. Click here to read more>> Dudu Khuboni Dudu Khuboni is a group member from Zizamele G5 in the Nkomazane area of High Flats. She saw the achievements of others who had joined the ACAT programme and decided to join as well. She has been in the programme for 4 years and has become a dynamic business-woman. She says the two most important things she learned from ACAT are savings and home food production. Click here to read more>> Ntombizonke Magubane Ntombizonke Magubane is a member of Wozanekhona G5 at Hlatikhulu in Okhahlamba and she says she has gained a great deal from being part of the ACAT Programme. “I have been very willing to learn and try to everything I learn into practice”, she says. Mrs Magubane sews school uniforms and pinafores to earn an income. Her school uniforms are a great seller as her quality is good and she really battles to keep up with demand. Click here to read more>> Nomathemba Molife Nomathemba Molife from Emnambithi joined an ACAT G5 group in 2003 because she wanted to generate income. Now their group are involved in a catering project – they buy potatoes and make potato chips, which they sell in a nearby school. Apart from the catering business, they are also involved in a sewing project. Click here to read more>> Mandla Manyoni Mandla Manyoni from Ndwedwe joined Sizanani group in 2010 because he loved what he had seen of the ACAT programme, and he wanted to develop himself and his family. He was unemployed, but wanted to be self-employed and produce nutritious food. Before joining ACAT he didn’t have farming skills. He says: “I was sick, and I stayed at home and did nothing. Then I joined my G5 group, and started an agri-business by growing and selling different types of crops and vegetables, and by keeping poultry.” Click here to read more>> Mr and Mrs Nzuza Mr and Mrs Nzuza live in the Maphumulo area and are 72 years old. They joined ACAT’s Zimele group 2 years ago out of desperation because they didn’t know what to do about their situation. 7 of their 8 children died leaving them with 6 grandchildren to raise – and as pensioners, they were struggling to adequately look after their grandchildren. Click here to read more>> Thandi Buthelezi Thandi Buthelezi has been a group member for over 5 years and belongs to Siyaphemba group in Nqutu. (Nqutu has a particularly harsh and extreme climate with high temperatures in summer and icy cold dry winters and the occasional snow falls). When Thandi joined the programme she was battling in every area of her life. Her husband was unemployed and food, school fees and household maintenance was a struggle. Click here to read more>> Mr and Mrs Ndlovu of Entumeni Mr and Mrs Ndlovu live in Kwakhoza in Entumeni. He says that before he joined the ACAT programme they had nothing. He got to hear about the ACAT Programme from another group member who referred him to the ACAT Extension Officer. He said that going to ACAT’s Basic Life Skills Course opened his eyes to many possibilities. All the improvements at his home are the result of his involvement in the ACAT’s programme over the past 3 years. Click here to read more>> Ms Goba of Mzinyathi Ms Goba of Mzinyathi has been involved in ACAT since 2003 when thieves came into her home and stole and destroyed everything. She started by growing different types of vegetables, and now 8 years later, she is selling crops and vegetables all year round. She makes a profit from selling and is able to save monthly at the bank. Because of her improved situation, other members of the community joined the programme because they saw her vegetable garden, which is alongside the road. Click here to read more>> Jabulani Ndleka shows how ACAT’s Jabulani Ndleka stands in the deep trench while he explains how to make a deep trench vegetable bed to the 150 children who attended youth courses during the “wold cup” July holidays. ACAT’s Johnson Mncube patiently oversees the children doing the practical work of filling a deep moisture trench. They all formed a line and passed the grass along! As you can imagine... with bundles of dry grass there was the potential for things to get out of hand! Click here to read more>> Mr Felix Shezi Mr Felix Shezi from Siyacela G5 in Nkandla has been a group member for about 2 ½ years. When he first joined he was desperate, starving and, in debt to loan sharks as he had borrowed money to feed his family. He now provides all the food for home consumption from his garden, and uses the garden to generate income from which he saves about R200 per month into the bank. Click here to read more>> Highflats In Highflats ACAT’s G5’s have combined their resources and grow and tend large fields of beans, potatoes and madumbes. Here they are shown bringing in the bean harvest! The community hall used for cleaning and sorting, was built with funds raised by this very proactive group of women. Click here to read more>> Home Improvements Home improvements are high on the priorities list of many of our group members. Once the basic needs like food and clothing are met, group members look to improving their living conditions, by repairing or maintaining their homes maintained and even adding new rooms on to existing buildings! Click here to read more>> Group Success Success in the small home vegetable garden inspires group members to make bigger gardens that will enable them to generate income from sales to neighbours and passersby. The physical effort, determination and resolve that many groups members display must be commended. Regular wire fencing is always costly, and so group members are encouraged to make use of the resources they have at hand. Click here to read more>> Mr Christopher Buthelezi Mr Christopher Buthelezi has been a member of Inthando Kankulunkulu G5 for 3 years. He is a pensioner and needed to keep himself busy so approached the ACAT’s Extension Officer about joining a group. He feels that through unfortunate circumstances he missed many opportunities in his life, but is making up for it now! Click here to read more>> Mrs Khanyisile Mbongwa Mrs Khanyisile Mbongwa from Inthando Kankulunkulu G5 in the Emnambithi area has been an ACAT group member for two years. She says she was living in poverty as her husband had died, and she was a single mother. At that time she was depressed, lacking in motivation and had a low self esteem. Then she saw another G5 member running her own business and was inspired to join a group. She says that her life has changed since she’s joined the ACAT programme: she has drawn strength from the Word of God, gained direction, started her own businsess, and learned to respect others. Click here to read more>> Lena Hlongwane Mrs Lena Hlongwane belongs to Salauhlezi G5 from Phungashe, Highflats. She has been a group member for about a year. She had been all on her own and felt hopeless and useless but was persuaded to join a group by her neighbour. She now feels she belongs to a family as her G5 treats her like a family member caring for her and encouraging her. Click here to read more>> Doreen and Johannes Mthembu “Before we joined the programme we were just sitting down doing nothing. We had tried poultry but it failed.” The couple now run their own tuckshop from home where they make a profit of R1000 per month. They also make mats out of used plastic shopping bags. Click here to read more>> Mrs Katie Mngomezulu’s story.... Katie belongs to Nthando KanKulunkulu group (meaning the love of God) and comes from Emgazini area in Emnambithi. She has really had a struggle in life. Her husband died in 1995, and in order to survive she worked on the roads. She went blind in October 2000 and in 2003 the hospital said it was permanent. She was then effectively abandoned by her family and neighbours – except for one neighbour’s boy. Click here to read more>>