South African fashion brand Poetry has launched the Change Makers initiative and partnered with Harambee Youth Employment to donate pre-loved dresses to disadvantaged job seekers.
In this initiative, the brand seeks to help job seekers look presentable when they go for interviews or start a new job, which would boost their confidence because when you look good, you do good.
Zengeziwe Msimang, Harambee’s chief communications officer, said: “The barriers that women face in accessing opportunities are higher and harder than those of men.
“Thanks to this partnership between Poetry and Harambee's SmartWorks initiative, young women across the country will be able to go to interviews feeling confident, increasing their chances of landing work.”
Besides collaborating with Harambee, the brand also spotlights women who are making a difference in their communities through their NGOs and use their platforms and influences to build sisterhood and promote women empowerment.
Poetry’s Hannah Neil said: “The Poetry Change Makers initiative aims to highlight women who are making waves in their communities and changing the trajectory of the lives of others.
“We hope that by sharing these women’s stories and amplifying their voices we can ignite a collective fire that drives more people to get involved in the various causes and conversations to make a difference, big or small.”
The women who are part of the “Change Makers” initiative are Nomndeni Mdakhi, founder of Agenda Women, an online platform that helps modern working women build a community of sisterhood to navigate womanhood; Gina Benett of Self Study, an after-school enrichment programme for children to learn valuable extramural skills in a safe space; Makungu Valoyi of Advocacy 4 Mental Health, an informative Instagram page that she curates to share evidence-based tips to manage mental health illnesses and destigmatise them; Sabrina Walter, of Women For Change, an organisation that advocates against gender-based violence and femicide; and Tara Roos of SoWeVote, a grassroots organisation dedicated to teaching Gen-Z about the importance of voting and teaching them all they need to know about government.
Poetry is not the first brand to partner with Harambee to donate clothes to job seekers. H&M did it last year under its Suitably Dressed initiative to promote sustainable fashion.