A group of South African women have been awarded for their efforts to give back and upskill themselves and their communities.

At the project’s annual awards ceremony in Durban, Clover Mama Afrika’s top-performing mamas were recognised for the hard work they put in over the last year.

Clover’s corporate sustainability initiative aims to empower women in communities across the nation with skills such as cooking, baking, sewing, quilting, business management and food gardening. Besides training sessions, the “Mamas” are supplied with tools, equipment and infrastructure to create an income for themselves so they may give back to their communities.

The top-performing mamas were:

PERFORMER EXTRAORDINAIRE: Mama Mirriam Makamu

Mirriam Makamu, from Tembisa in Gauteng, was named Performer Extraordinaire for continuously being innovative in improving her bakery, having solid infrastructure in place, having improved income by 44% and using her own profits to re-invest in the bakery.

TOP ACHIEVER OF THE YEAR: Mama Selestien Moses

The Top Achiever of the Year was Selestien Moses, from Ashbury in the Western Cape, for having a positive attitude and eagerness to meet community need and providing the necessary services at all times. She increased a collective income by 55%.

BEST BUSINESS OF THE YEAR: Mama Sipiwe Solomons

Sipiwe Solomons, from Hazyview, Mpumalanga, received the Best Business of the Year award. She was recognised for taking her guesthouse and catering projects to new heights, and for implementing and maintaining a good infrastructure.

MOST IMPROVED: Mama Daphne Oliphant

Daphne Oliphant, from Roodewal in the Western Cape, was recognised for being the Most Improved Mama. She identified the best Clover Mama Afrika self-help projects and applied dedicated focus to take them to new heights. She was able to increase the collective income by 167%.

ULTIMATE CLEANLINESS & HYGIENE AWARD: Mama Felicity Maluleke

Soweto’s Felicity Maluleke received this award for implementing a solid infrastructure within the centre to ensure a healthy and safe environment for members in her care and in the community. She constantly empowered others to understand the importance of a clean and healthy environment.

TOP CLEANLINESS & HYGIENE: Mama Dorah Semenya, Mama Glenrose Mashiqa, Mama Nondumiso Mpitimpiti, Mama Alinah Marumo and Mama Phumelele Mtshali

Semenya (Seshego, Limpopo), Mashiqa (Mdantsane, Eastern Cape), Mpitimpiti (Amalinda Forest, Eastern Cape), Marumo (Thabong, Free State) and Mtshali (Umlazi, KwaZulu Natal) were recognised for their hard work and awarded the Top Cleanliness & Hygiene award for consistently providing a clean and healthy environment to members of their communities.

SPECIAL RECOGNITION: Mama Rina Malan

Rina Malan of Pretoria received a Special Recognition for using all resources to market her products countrywide and making a success of it. She collectively increased her income by 44% and was innovative in improving her projects.

“As always, these mamas never fail to make me proud and it warms my heart to see them working so hard to be the change that is needed in each of their communities,” Clover corporate services manager says. “Each and every one of these mamas deserve the recognition they have received.”

Need your company’s good news story told? Email us at hello@goodnewsdaily.co.za.