Bo-Kaap Women come together to tackle social issues

The Bo-Kaap Civic and Ratepayers’ Association launched the Women of Bo-Kaap group, at the Schotschekloof civic centre last Thursday.

This group will look at socio-economic issues that women face daily, including overcrowding, housing, unemployment, education and gender-based violence.

“We had this idea for years but it kept on being stalled for various reasons, but this year we said for the day of conciliation we going to launch this,” said Fowzia Achmat, the vice-chairperson of the ratepayers’ association.

“The plan for this group is to empower women economically. We had a few women that lost their jobs during the pandemic but the plan is to educate the ladies for a sustainable lifestyle. We also want to encourage women to become leaders in this community so there will be educational, upliftment programmes for them.”

The BCRA identified the leaders of each sector of Bo-Kaap and will get together with them to kick off the projects in the New Year.

“The women were very excited about this project. This is not something where they will be told what to do, this project requires everyone’s input; it’s a joint effort where we share ideas and work skills. It’s the first time we have a group of this kind.”