History

Kopanang:
***Creativity,* Culture, *Community***

Kopanang means “gathering together” — and that’s exactly what we do.

Started in 2001, Kopanang began as a small skills project and quickly evolved into a bold creative collective. Today, over 20 women in Gauteng, and 20 more at our sister site, Ingomusa, in Mpumalanga, design and produce hand-embroidered, one-of-a-kind pieces from home.

Each week, groups meet at our central hub just outside Johannesburg to exchange ideas, collect materials, share techniques, and deliver finished work for quality control. From there, they take the craft home — where work fits around real life.

Kopanang is proudly women-led. We create opportunities for women to earn a reliable income while celebrating African design, colour, and craft. Our pieces include textiles, dolls, homeware and more, each one stitched with serious skill and unmistakable personality.

No factories. No mass production. Just unique, handmade products designed to stand out and do good.

Meet the Team

Vision

To build a community of women empowered to dream and work towards their aspirations, creating sustainable livelihoods through their skills and creativity. By producing high quality marketable products at premium prices we aim to ensure financial stability and independence for the project and the women, and foster a sense of belonging and purpose in the broader community. We are committed to effective governance with a dedicated board of trustees.

Mission

To cultivate dreams that will create a source of hope and develop sustainable livelihoods for the women in the impoverished fringes of the greater Johannesburg areas served by Kopanang and their rural sister projects, through support of entrepreneurial opportunities; skills, design and leadership development and mentorship programs. Develop focussed marketing and sales strategies that grow diversified markets that ensure sales at premium prices for high quality products. To foster creativity and self-reliance among future generations in the areas served by Kopanang.

Mission Statement Empowering women with skills, purpose, and access to sustainable markets that value their creativity and dignity.

WHAT DOES ‘KOPANANG’ MEAN?

Kopanang directly translated From Sotho to English, means ‘gathering together’ to learn, to rest, and to encourage one another. Today, 50 women form the Kopanang project on site, with 20 women at a sister project, Ingomusa, in Mpumalanga. Collectively, their dependents number around 600.

OUR ETHOS

The ethos of Kopanang is to be a blessing to the community that we have lovingly built, to care for one another, and to support one another when bowed down with suffering.

WHO ARE THE WOMEN OF KOPANANG?

Many of the women live on the outskirts of Johannesburg, sharing rickety shacks with their families and a single communal tap with dozens more. But at Kopanang, the sun rises on a new beginning for the women and children each day. Once a week, a different group of women come to Kopanang to sing, pray and work together. They are allocated designs and fabric, hand over products for quality assessment, and are trained in new skills. They work from home for the remainder of the week so that they can care for their children.

STRENGTH AND BRAVERY ENCOMPASSED IN THE SPECIAL PRODUCTS MADE FOR YOU

These amazing women have harnessed the intrinsic strength and bravery of one another to reshape their realities, and their work symbolizes their fearless pursuit of happiness and success in the face of adversity. Together, they have carved a path paved with opportunity and hope across the landscape of their lives.

HOW WE UPSKILL THE KOPANANG COMMUNITY

Numeracy and Literacy lessons are offered to Kopanang members, their children and the children of our sister project, Sithand’Izingane. An adult immersion program has begun an audit in preparation to mend some of the deteriorating shack homes of our families. We are currently preparing to put our entire stock and point-to-sales system onto a computer program, and skills development has begun in earnest for the unit managers and project management team.

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