August is a month to celebrate the social, economic and political achievements of women. In recognition of the roles and contributions that women have had in the development of our country, the Mustadafin Foundation is celebrating two key women who play pivotal roles in their organisation.
Mustadafin is a grant-making foundation that has established numerous skills programmes to support and empower women. Through the program, Mustadafin has made a difference in the lives of more than 150 women and 1000 girls over the years.
“We started with women empowerment initiatives in 1988, as we were looking for innovative strategies on how we could help women escape poverty and abuse. The aim was to allow them to come into public spaces to build their capacities, skill sets, access to livelihoods and leadership positions,” says Ghairunisa Johnstone-Cassiem, director of Mustadafin. “Mustadafin continues to work on strategic areas such as empowering women in skills, education, amplifying women and girls’ voices, with the hope to advance the advocacy for women’s power,” says Johnstone-Cassiem.
Aside from empowering women, Mustadafin also celebrates the strong women responsible for maintaining this vision.
Samantha Reitz joined Mustadafin in 2006, as the health coordinator at their offices in Tafelsig. Prior to joining Mustadafin, Samantha used to volunteer at the organisation, and this is where she developed a passion for working with people infected with and affected by, HIV/AIDS. “My intention is to really develop our communities through education and empowering woman with knowledge around their own health and wellbeing,” says Reitz. “I believe educating women from a young age can prevent the spread of HIV through responsible and considered decision making. Developing responsible adults is what I would like to play a role in.”
Developing responsible adults start from a young age, Mustadafin has established a Learning Centre within the Tafelsig community, offering learning programmes to 56 children between the ages of 6 to 15 years; prepping them for traditional schooling. “My greatest wish is to have our Learning Centre registered with the Western Cape Educational Department,” says Reitz. “This will help us secure additional funding and government support, which will help us open the door to more youth; especially young women.”
The second woman that Mustadafin would like to celebrate is Nazley Rulumente. Rulumente became a full-time employee of Mustadafin in 2016, after being a volunteer at the organisation for four years. Rulumente is currently at the helm of Mustadafin’s stakeholder communication and is responsible for growing the organisation’s public presence and opening avenues for important funding. Her work contributes to the sustainability of the organisation.
“My vision is to change the narrative and perceptions in townships where some believe that no good can from the youth in townships. There is so much potential, and children can reach their best when they have access to the basics, like food and education,” says Rulumente. “Through my work, I would like to increase the accessibility of resources, channels and spaces that can help broaden the youth’s horizons by showing them the beauty and possibilities that are out there in the world.” Rulumente concludes by saying: “My greatest wish for Mustadafin is to be a financially sustainable organisation so that we can reach more youth and especially women.”