A GROUP of women from Sommerset Park, who came together during the unrest in July 2021 to cook up meals for the men in the community who were patrolling the neighbourhood, has turned into a sisterhood which aims to serve, empower and educate.

Speaking to Northglen News, the association’s chairperson, Praneetha Aniruth, said her husband has asked her to mobilise the women in the community to assist with meals and beverages while they were conducting neighbourhood watch duties.

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“It all started with a WhatsApp group, where I invited some women over and asked them to bring ingredients to my kitchen so we can prepare meals. More women started to join so I had to find alternate premises due to Covid-19,” she said.

“We found premises at a temple and soon realised that there was more need outside of the area. We started reaching out on social media and grocery hampers started coming in. Food hampers were then donated to Phoenix, Tongaat and Verulam,” said the chairperson.

Aniruth also discovered that the need was far greater than she and the group of women had realised.

She then decided to formalise the group and called on a few women to form a committee which is now the Umhlanga Women’s Association.

“After creating the Umhlanga Women’s Association and forming an executive committee, I asked the women for their CVs so I could get a grasp of who they were for our website. I was wowed. The association is made up of such brilliant women that I decided to start seven sub committees and ask each woman to head their portfolios,” said Aniruth.

Some of the association’s projects are the menstrual buddy campaign, community kitchen, training and skills development and grocery hamper donations.

“Our aim is to help the underprivileged, grow women in business through networking and to develop the skills of our youth through mentorship programmes. This will help shape women by learning, sharing and continuously serving our community for the betterment of humankind,” she said.

“I have the privilege of working with some of the most amazing women and members, most of which I have not even met yet but they are so excited to be involved with sponsoring our programmes,” said Aniruth.

For more information visit www.umhlangawa.co.za  

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