Members of Women of Worth, from left, are Nondumiso George, Zenia Foster and Eileen Martin in the company’s merchandise. Picture: Supplied
Johannesburg - In the midst of the brutal war on women in South Africa, Womenofworthza (WOW) is determined to empower women in the country and to provide them with the tools, opportunities and confidence to stand on their own two feet.
WOW’s movement does not just aim to spread the word about GBV but to also address the 47% of women in South Africa that were recorded as economically inactive, through job creation.
Founder Thurzil Papier said: “WOW empowers women in the workplace and in everyday life. We create jobs in communities by offering skills that enable women to manufacture jewellery and clothing and many more exciting products, creating entrepreneurs and brand ambassadors.”
The WOW movement was established by Papier who was selling loose beads imported from the UK at a market in Durbanville before it all started, and Zenia Foster who had approached Papier with an opportunity to design samples for quality finished products.
Papier said: “They formed a small team that went on to make unique handmade jewellery. Zenia wanted to share the message that women are valuable and worthy and jewellery became the catalyst for this message.
“I developed a strategy to launch beautiful handmade jewellery and embarked on a long, hard working and committed path to share the message of Woman of Worth through a network of contacts. In 2019 the business created a recognised brand that has successfully launched into the market.”
Their initiative was made official and registered in 2020, only a few months before life changed due to the Covid pandemic.
Though WOW was negatively affected by the hard lockdown, Papier and Foster both remained committed to the mission that they set, to offer women a second chance in life, no matter their circumstances, that they are worthy and have the potential to succeed by way of job creation, developing exceptional entrepreneurs and focussing on gender empowerment.
“After the Level 5 lockdown, I explored the opportunity of manufacturing clothing, using many Community Media Trust ladies in Cape Town who were now unemployed due to the Covid situation. The first range was launched in August 2020,” Papier said.
WOW continues to thrive despite the effects of Covid- 19, their diverse team is so much more determined to offer opportunities to women who are willing to create, design and sell to a receptive market.
“We’re committed to helping women by working together with equal parts humility and ambition. Our goal is to empower women, build role models and hope for future generations. We constantly push ourselves to be our best, we focus on solutions, and we arrive every day inspired to make an impact through our talents, passion and hard work. We’re honest, transparent and committed to doing what’s best for our customers and our company” said Papier.
The company can be found @womenofworthza.co.za on facebook and @womenofworth_za on instagram.
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