According to a report by South Africa’s Department of Women, called Status of Women in the South African economy, females receive, on average, 9.8 years of education in South Africa.
Kate Mashilo (39) from Ga-Rankuwa wanted to finish matric, but after she got married, she had to focus on taking care of her family, putting aside her dream of completing matric.
However, things have changed for the better after Kate recently won a cooking course in The Sunlight Liquid Go Further competition. After seeing Kate’s love for cooking and the happiness the course brought her, her husband has encouraged her to finish her matric next year.
“Since childhood, girls are taught that their primary role is to look after the family and do household chores. I am happy that my husband has seen that with business skills and education, I can make choices that balance both my work and family life.”
The mother of three, is currently unemployed and is currently undergoing the training and enjoying every minute of it. Kate aspires to open her own restaurant after finishing her course and give back to her community by starting a feeding scheme for school children.
“I fell in love with food because my mother used to work at a restaurant. My dream is to own my own restaurant because I am passionate about cooking. Owning a business will make me financially independent and I can also contribute to the household income. My children will have a better life and this is what my heart desires,” she said.
Nobuhle Ngubane, Sunlight Dishwashing Liquid Assistant Brand Manager says, “A lack of education has a knock-on effect that brings other challenges to the fore because it hinders women’s participation in the labour market and increases poverty and inequality. The formation of new business leads to job creation, which improves the economy and standard of living for all.”
