Women’s mentorship programme launch empowers locals
The event featured women and organisations from different fields to empower the young women within the community and share their experiences within the different spheres of life.
Nyeleti Lighthouse (NLH) recently hosted a young women’s mentorship programme launch aimed at empowering young women in the local community at Meadowlands Multi-Purpose Hall, Soweto.
It was a powerful and inspiring day dedicated to shaping the future of young women in the community. The impactful initiative was a collaboration between Nyeleti LightHouse and SewAfrica Fashion College.
Zakes Manda, Founder of NLH, shared that NLH is focused on mentorship and learnerships to empower community members; however, today’s event was dedicated mostly to young women in the community.
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“We are launching this mentorship programme, a collaborative effort by various organisations. It is aimed at mentoring young girls.
“We have identified 60 young women, 12 of whom have been taken in for a learnership with SewAfrica that will start in January 2026. We also have women from different fields who are here to inspire and impact the attendees,’’ said Manda.
Melanie Kanyepi from SewAfrica Fashion College shared her excitement about the new intake of learners participating in the learnership, adding that not only will they equip the learners with fashion skills, but also with how to run a business and sustain themselves.
She said: “We are also more about making sure that once the learnership is over, the learners will be able to sustain themselves in terms of running their own businesses. We would like to thank NLH for identifying the learners, and we cannot wait to make a great impact.’’
The session was aimed at helping the women learn to calm themselves using various techniques, such as yoga.
Kwanele Mabaso, from Meadowlands, who will also take part in the SewAfrica learnership, shared that she has been with NLH for a while and has learnt the skills of crop cultivation and gardening.
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“NLH is a great initiative; it has greatly impacted my life, as everything we learn is practically applicable.
“I have started my own garden, all because of them, and I look forward to the learnership. With the unemployment rate, I believe that it plays a pivotal role in shaping our future,’’ said Mabaso.
