ABOUT JEWELS OF HOPE
Jewels of Hope was established in November 2004 in Ladybrand, Free State, as a support group to 11 children from child-headed households, who made jewellery to support themselves. This model was extended, through partnerships, to several other locations in Southern Africa.
By 2008, 250 children formed part of the Jewels of Hope in South Africa, Lesotho, Zimbabwe and Malawi. The jewellery has been sold in South Africa and exported to the USA, UK, Australia and Europe - the export market constituting 80% of sales revenue at its peak.
Our vision has been to transform vulnerable children into champion citizens! The focus of Jewels of Hope was to impact a few children deeply - for life, rather than to simply touch many children’s lives temporarily.
The practical skill of using what was in front of them, the thrill of earning an income and the sense of belonging to a family group is invaluable for any one. However, the ultimate goal of Jewels of Hope is to provide core social and spiritual development for the community.
Jewels of Hope started as an ABCD (asset based community-led development) initiative.
This initiative has since grown to include food distribution, schooling, ministry, and making use of biblical principles and Kingdom values to help people prosper.
It's about the people. They are the jewels. They are the ones carrying hope for tomorrow.
Meet the Board.
We are pleased to introduce our Jewels of Hope Board members!
They are the fire behind the passion. The minds behind the solutions. The hearts behind the giving. They said yes, and we're so grateful that they did!
Read a little more about each of them - just tap their name.
THE ABCD CORE PRINCIPLES
Community-led development
One of the main strategies to sustainable social development – development processes driven by people who are directly affected by the challenges they seek to address.
Stories of success
The starting point is the shared history of success stories in bringing about change in the community.
Acknowledging the power of collaboration and social capital
The main resource in communities is the strong social ties that exist between community members and the different forms of organisations that are formed.
Appreciation and mobilisation of existing assets in the community
Every community, no matter how poor, has access to different physical, social, financial, human and natural assets, which can be mobilised for community action.
Stimulating opportunity seeking mindsets
ABCD is about changing mindsets towards a ‘glass-half-full’ approach to life.
Social entrepreneurship
Creating social and economic value with available Assets.
Crucial to the ABCD approach is that the power over development processes is held by the communities themselves. Through an ABCD process, communities become empowered from the inside out, which is critical in active citizenship and ensuring government accountability. The role of NGOs within this approach is one of facilitating and connecting to other stakeholders.