My name is Sophie, AKA "Mam Sophie" and this is my story.
My name is Sophie Ntsubulane, and I was born in the Eastern Cape. I am a 37-year-old African woman with a passion for life, changes, and bettering livelihoods. At the age of 6 years, my mom moved to Orange farm with me and my siblings. we did not know my dad at the time as he was a mine worker. When I was 8 years old, my dad returned home, and we only knew him then, but unfortunately, we never got to bond as he was an abusive, alcoholic father who was then unemployed. My mother was the only one working as a domestic worker; however, money wasn’t enough to give us a decent upbringing.
My educational background was delayed as our home was more of a child-headed family; I had to look after my siblings and ensure every household chore was done daily while my mom was at work. That resulted in me being in grade R at age 9, but that never discouraged me because I had a love for education and the drive to bring change into my life, including my siblings. One day, my teacher intervened as she noticed there was something wrong with me; the case dragged on till they took a decision to send me and my siblings to a foster care children’s home. I spent my teen years in the children’s home care till I matriculated in 2004, but that was the beginning of my second round of life disaster. Home confirmed that they could not keep me any longer because I was done with school, and no funds would be donated under my name as I’m of age. I had to pack and go back home on my last day in matric, leaving my siblings behind.
I arrived home, and my mom had another man and kids. She was then unemployed, an alcoholic and did not care of my added siblings. The situation was even worse. All that drove me to move in with a guy who Is now the father of my kids. We got our shack and shared a life together. 2005, I fell pregnant with my first child; everything changed from then as my partner started cheating on me, abused me and was never the same. Been in an abusive relationship till 2007, when I moved to my new place in Drieziek 5 to start a new life alone. With time moving, I got back with my man, and he then moved to my place.
1 day, I was on Facebook, met this woman via her clothing drive initiative, and it turned out she was going through the same thing; we shared stories and ended up forming a group to register an NPO that focused on women in abuse. That’s how I came up with Pink Spot. It is now focused on GBV, and there’s 1 exciting one,“ groom a boy child”, which will help deal with the boys at a young age before they grow to be abusive monsters whom we are faced with now as our partners because of all the traumas they endured in their upbringing. At Pink Spot, we also focused on feeding Scheme to the needy and helping children with homework daily. I ended the abusive relationship, now with my kids and focused on my NPO “ pink spot “Their growth and success mean a lot to me.
I love and enjoy helping others. I am Sophie, the so-called “ Mam Sophie” in my area. I am known for change and my strong drive to bring light to those who need it.
Thank you.
Cathrine's deep connection to Malawi is so inspiring
Meet Cathrine, a young Malawian woman who was born and raised in Zimbabwe. Despite growing up far away from her ancestral land, Cathrine was always drawn to Malawi and its beautiful landscapes. As a child, she dreamt of one day visiting her parent's homeland, and when she finally did, it was love at first sight. She was captivated by the lush greenery, cultivated fields, the rolling green hills, and the friendly, welcoming people of traditional rural African villages. 
Cathrine's connection to Malawi deepened over time, even as she faced various social and financial challenges that forced her to leave her country. She never forgot the warmth and kindness of the people she had met there, and she remained committed to helping them in any way she could. 
In 2021, Cathrine finally returned to Malawi to settle in her parents' village of Tukombo, located in the Northern region where the Tonga-speaking people reside. She was eager to reconnect with her roots and to make a positive impact on her community. She reached out to the Traditional Authority (TA) of the village's land to understand the most pressing needs in the area, and she was determined to find a way to help, even though she had no resources of her own.
Cathrine's unwavering dedication to her community inspired her to seek out like-minded friends who shared her vision of creating a better Africa for present and future generations. Together, they embarked on a journey of asking for assistance, and Cathrine was humbled by the overwhelming response from her friends, who were eager to help her build her village and work towards creating a better Africa, one village at a time. Despite having limited resources, Cathrine was able to make a significant impact on the lives of those in need in her village by providing assistance and support whenever needed. 
Cathrine's passion for the environment led her to get involved in a tree-planting project in her community of Tukombo. She collaborated with Chifundo from the DFFE, and together, they planted trees in a school and an elderly home. Cathrine had to seek permission from the Chief, Zilakoma - Mr Wellington, to run the project on their land, and he was eager to assist Cathrine in carrying out her vision to transform the landscapes while preserving the cultures and traditions that her ancestors had worked so hard to build. Her approach to the tree-planting project was unique and inspiring. She not only taught pupils how to plant trees but also explained why it was important and how to care for them. She encouraged each student to plant trees with a purpose and to name each tree they planted so they could nurture and protect it as a living treasure. Cathrine's dedication to planting trees and helping those in need is truly admirable. Her efforts have given hope for the future of our planet and the natural world. Her story is a testament to the fact that one person can make a significant difference in their community with determination and a clear vision.
Mpho Mogodiri is Celebrating our Indigenous Heritage
We really need to reconnect with our roots to nature and listen to the elders around the world. I call them living libraries because they actually know most of the things that we don’t know. They have this knowledge, but they don’t know who to share this knowledge with. It’s because we are not asking them about these things. It’s something that I’m trying to spark with my business. To say, ask your grandmother about this, ask your grandfather about this, ask your elder about this and let there be a bit of information sharing. My grandmother would share her stories around fruits. For example, the wild sour plum. Those are the things she would talk about. I feel that knowledge like hers should be preserved somehow. 
People don’t go into the wild as much as they used to. There’s a lot of activities to do now. There’s a TV in every home. There’s PlayStations, there’s Twitter, Facebook and so on. For us, when we wanted to play, we would go foraging and people are no longer interested in foraging. And if people are not interested in something, it loses its value.
I got introduced to foraging by my grandmother. I grew up in the Northwest, in a village called Seolong. We would go foraging with my grandmother and also with friends. It was actually fun to do it. I think it was a great, formative period. It’s a part of who I am. It’s a part of my identity and culture. I believe right now we are losing this knowledge which forms a great part of who we are.
The impact that starting my business had on me is that I really had to connect with my childhood again. Not only that but it’s also taught me that challenges in life are seasonal like the items we would forage. I appreciate nature more. I get to impact other people’s lives because when I go foraging, now, I go with a group of young people. They teach me about these fruits because some of them have been doing this their whole lives. Now they are paid for that knowledge and skill and they get to be paid through me. I get to put food on somebody’s table. It has impacted me that I’m doing good. I’m sharing my gift with other people. I’ve learnt to really listen to the ingredients and just go with the flow. It has shown me a different Mpho. 
At Indigenous Delights, we produce luxury food, such as jams and chutneys, made out of indigenous, raw products. We exclusively source our raw material from women and youth in the villages in the Limpopo province. We do this to ensure that we provide a way of earning income for women and youth, and also to ensure that the materials we get are indigenous to that area and are collected sustainably.
I wanted to make something that I grew up loving, indigenous delights, into modern food. There’s a certain stigma that comes with some indigenous fruits that I grew up eating. I ate that a lot when I was young because we had nothing else to eat. So, some of the foods are seen as poverty foods. We’re trying to break through that stigma.
Evolving to me means growth. It means pushing boundaries. Knowing that fear is there, but saying to the fear, 'I acknowledge you, fear, but I'm not gonna let you paralyze me'. Evolving means chasing your dreams the only way you know how. Evolving is also growth in terms of knowing yourself and making things happen for yourself and for those that are around you. It’s about opening the door for those who come after you.
