In 2019 The Clothing Bank supported 832 women who made in excess of R38,9 million in profits and currently have retail partnerships with seven of South Africa’s major clothing retailers.
They received over 10 million units from them to date with a total value of exceeding 600 million at retail cost.
Business owners currently make an average of R3 327 profit per business owner in their Enterprise Development programme.
A success story
“Women need to know my story so that they can learn that you don’t need to be stuck in a situation that life throws at you” - Valerie Grootboom, Paarl in the Western Cape.
Valerie is a seamstress that previously worked as a domestic worker earning R100 a day. With the income she earned she had to support her mother, down-syndrome brother and her disabled nephew - making ends meet was near impossible.
When she first joined The Clothing Bank and started buying bags of damaged clothing to repair and resell, she was skeptical, but persevered nonetheless. To sell her wares, she set up a stand at a local mall over weekends.
Surviving was still tough and to save money she would jog home instead of taking a taxi. She stayed determined to achieve success and steadily grew her business up to the point where she now employs another person to assist.
The money she made from the business has helped her to put her son through school and is also paying fees for her other two children. She also buys fabric to make her own garments that she sells along with merchandise from The Clothing Bank. Valerie has big dreams and ultimately, she would like to grow her clothing design business and own her own clothing label.
She has been very sensible with the money she earns and has managed to pay off all her debt, renovate her house and in 2019 she took her first holiday ever with a group of friends. She has also bought a house in Plettenberg Bay, which she plans to turn into an income-generating business.
Valerie’s message to other women is to “reach out for help because there is hope, hard work does payoff and believes that there is light at the end of the tunnel – I am living proof of that”.