UPS Grant Supports Microloan to South Africa Entrepreneur
Five thousand children in South Africa owe their daily bread to Victoria Gumede and fellow members of the Camperdown Women's Cooperative. These women donate their time to 31 rural schools serving the poorest of the South African poor, to purchase and cook food in a Government-initiated and -funded feeding scheme for the students, providing what is more than likely their only meal of the day. The schools are situated in remote, mountainous areas surrounding Pietermaritzburg, the capital of the KwaZulu-Natal province. Most children live in homes without electricity or water and walk more than a mile each way to school since there is no transportation available.
The Camperdown Women's Cooperative was formed in July 2006 by women who were previously unemployed or had small businesses in communities where the schools are based. Gumede is also a member of the Gcumisa Farmers' Cooperative. The cooperative leases small holdings in Wartburg near Pietermaritzburg from local landowners and cultivates crops which are sold to the local community, as well as the Pietermaritzburg Market.
In January 2008, the Gcumisa Farmers' Cooperative applied for and was granted a loan of R10 000 ($1,350) from Opportunity Finance (Pty) Ltd., the South African subsidiary of Opportunity International. UPS, which awarded a $390,000 grant to Opportunity International in recognition of UPS's 100th anniversary, delivered the R10 000 loan check to the Gcumisa Farmers' Cooperative and Gumede received the check on behalf of the cooperative. The loan enabled the cooperative to purchase seed, fertilizer, pesticide and other necessary items to grow maize and potatoes.
Five thousand children in South Africa owe their daily bread to Victoria Gumede and fellow members of the Camperdown Women's Cooperative. These women donate their time to 31 rural schools serving the poorest of the South African poor, to purchase and cook food in a Government-initiated and -funded feeding scheme for the students, providing what is more than likely their only meal of the day. The schools are situated in remote, mountainous areas surrounding Pietermaritzburg, the capital of the KwaZulu-Natal province. Most children live in homes without electricity or water and walk more than a mile each way to school since there is no transportation available. 