This women’s month, local South African fashion brand Poetry launched their Change Makers  initiative, and partnered with Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator to donate pre-loved dresses  to disadvantaged job seekers. 

The Poetry Change Makers initiative shines a spotlight on remarkable women reshaping South Africa in  their respective fields of interest. From fostering entrepreneurial skills, empowering the underprivileged  through education, combating the stigma around period poverty, championing the mental health discussion and more. These women represent different sectors with their various NGOs, businesses and  outreach programmes.  

“The Poetry Change Makers initiative aims to highlight women who are making waves in their communities and changing the trajectory of the lives of others. We hope that by sharing these women’s  stories and amplifying their voices we can ignite a collective fire that drives more people to get involved  in the various causes and conversations to make a difference, big or small” - Hannah Neil, Head of  Marketing for Poetry. 

Poetry hosted their inaugural Change Makers event on Thursday 15 August in Cape Town, bringing  together twenty women; including change makers, women with influence and select media. The event  featured a long table discussion aiming to drive impactful dialogue and generate much-needed  awareness for the vital work being done to uplift women and address pressing social issues in South  Africa. “Our goal was to facilitate connections and build communities that would transcend this two  hour event. This really was the start of what’s to come” added Neil. 

Among the change makers attending was the founder of Agenda Women, Nomndeni Mdakhi - a  powerful advocate for female entrepreneurship. Her online platform and annual summit create pathways for women to take their businesses and career to the next level. Driven by a passion for  education, Gina Bennett founded Safe Study during the pandemic - an after-school enrichment  programme for children to learn valuable extramural skills in a safe space. Gina was volunteering at a  soup kitchen when she identified a need within the community for children to have a place to go that  would foster learning and creativity. As an advocate for mental health, occupational therapist Makungu 

Valoyi founded Adocacy4MentalHealth, an informative Instagram page that she curated to share  evidence-based tips to manage mental health illnesses and to end the stigma around it. 

Other change makers in attendance included Sabrina Walter, the founder of Women For Change and an  activist against gender based violence and femicide, and Tara Roos, director of SoWeVote, a grassroots  organisation striving to keep Gen-Z informed about the government and getting them registered to  vote. 

In tandem with launching the Poetry Change Makers platform, Poetry has partnered with Harambee  Youth Employment Accelerator, a non-profit social enterprise that tackles youth unemployment, on  their SmartWorks programme. Poetry has embarked on a nationwide donation drive to help young  work-seekers make a first impression at their interview or first job by asking their customers, and the  public, to donate their gently worn dresses, smart shirts, pants and blazers. Drop offs can be made at  any Poetry flagship stores nationwide, including Canal Walk, Brooklyn, Gateway, Sandton and  Stellenbosch, in the months of August and September. 

“The barriers that women face in accessing opportunities are higher and harder than those of men.  Thanks to this partnership between Poetry and Harambee's SmartWorks initiative, young women across  the country will be able to go to interviews feeling confident, increasing their chances of landing work!”  - Zengeziwe Msimang, Harambee’s Chief Communications Officer

Connect with Poetry on Instagram #PoetryChangeMakers @poetrystores @poetryofliving

Learn more about Poetry Change Makers on their blog.