WOODO is on the move!!

Although we have been rather quiet lately, and we haven’t posted anything for weeks, WOODO has been very busy with all sorts of new and exciting things!

Talent and Seven (and Jo in the middle) doing their thing!

We have two ladies working with us on weekends, (Talent and Seven) selling clothes and shoes to people in their communities.  They are generating income for their own households this way, as they both receive a fair portion of the money that’s made at each sale.  The rest of the money made goes to the running costs of WOODO.  Which brings me to my next bit of news!!!

We have been operating from a warehouse in Alrode South since October last year.  Because running costs of the warehouse (and the cost of petrol there and back) have become rather high, we are moving to the (far) East Rand.  So…  we are in the process of moving the entire contents of the warehouse to Springs, where Jo will be able to manage WOODO right from her doorstep!  Please continue to support us from wherever you are – we are still happy to collect your contributions from far and wide!

Here are a few ‘before’ and ‘after’ pics…  (Thanks to the men in the picture below for their help!)

Before the big move!

During the big move!

There are many plans in place for the near future!  Our next big goal is to start producing and marketing hand-made items, mainly from recycled material.  If there are any artists, seamstresses, potters, mosaic-ers, painters, designers, bakers or anyone with any kind of creative ability, who is able to help with teaching our young ladies some of these skills, please consider giving us some of your time!  There are so many young girls and ladies who just need to be given a chance to unlock their  hidden talents, and a platform to showcase them on!

Lots of love, Jo and Heather xxx

Our Wish List…

I guess every NGO has to have a wish-list, huh?

Well – we’re no different – and this is ours:

1. A monthly income that can sustain WOODO and pay our rent, our water & lights, salary for Adelaide, security fees and petrol / travel expenses for the van (we currently borrow a van every Wednesday – we don’t own one).
2. Storage items:  shelving, coat hangers, and big bins on wheels – as well as industrial laundry tubs on wheels (like they use in big hotels).
3. A small bar fridge (for our kitchen in the workshop / warehouse).
4. A microwave oven (also for our kitchen).
5. Washing machine.
6. Tumble drier.
7. Signage for the warehouse – and a big signage magnet for the van.
8. GPS for driving around, collecting donations in unfamiliar places.
9. An old caravan!  :-)
10. And, of course, a van! (so we don’t have to keep borrowing someone else’s van!)

If you’re not signed up to our newsletter, we’d love to connect with you. Click here to view the latest one – and if you like what you see, you can sign up or subscribe immediately.

And again – please keep in touch!  It’s nice for us to know that we’re not alone… we LOVE it when people connect!

Heather & Jo

x

 

Work on the Workshop

Just wanted to update everyone with the progress at our WOODO Workshop in Alrode South.  Here’s a few photos so you can see what’s happening – and a BIG thank-you to Janet from Tools of Greatness for arranging lots of VERY useful shelving from her father, Rob.  It helps enormously!!!

Slowly but surely... between Adelaide, Jo and Heather... the mountain is moving!

Getting there...

Some neatness starting to happen....

What would we do without this shelving?

Much better - but still SO much to do!!!

We’re getting there… but still – we’re in desperate need of:  shelving, BIG laundry containers on wheels (like hotels use), coat-hangers, clear plastic bags – and, of course, more of your clothing & clutter!

E-mail: info@woodowomen.net if you can help!

Our first Chop-Shop FUNdraiser…

A few posts ago, I wrote about our Chop-Shop FUNdraiser.  And – on Saturday – a whole bunch of supportive folk arrived at our WOODO Warehouse in Alrode South for a morning of FUN and of “funking” our junk!

Lovely morning – thank-you to everyone who helped!  Thanks, especially, to Soo (my sister) who worked flat-out with me (for a couple of days leading up to the Chop-Shop event) – helping me to prepare everything.  I couldn’t have done it without you, Soo!  x

We will be hosting another Chop-Shop in late January, 2012.  If you missed this one – don’t miss the next one!  I will put out a post in this blog when we’ve set a date…  maybe follow our blog via e-mail?  (Just click “follow” in the right-hand column of this blog).  That way, you’ll be updated with all our blogs, photos and news!  :-)

Here are some photos of a lovely, creative morning!

Soo and I explaining "The Rules" to everyone. The Chop-Shop is all about funking junk - but it's also a game... complete with Mystery Boxes and a prize!

Next to Soo - you can see our pile of Mystery Boxes. Each box contained 3 mystery items which teams had to make use of whilst creating something new and unique.

Then it was time for everyone to open their boxes... and hunt for extra goodies to use in their project. The "Glittery Goodies" table attracted a lot of attention...

The Prize: the first WOODO Franken-Trophy! At every Chop-Shop, we'll be creating a new Franken-Trophy to give away to the team who creates the funnest and funkiest item!

The teams hard at work creating...

More gathering from the "Glittery Things" table...

That lamp was one of the 3 mystery items this team found in their Mystery Box...

Lots of creative activity...

The kids had fun too!

Soo - working on her masterpiece...

And more creative activity....

Tony & Jo - hard at work - making a pillow out of an old white dress and a skipping rope.

Adding the buttons...

Morgan modelling a dress that Team T-Rex made out of an old bag (this is actually a really fun idea - which has given me a whole bunch of other ideas...)

Team T-Rex with their model...

This team called themselves The Doo-Wah Girls - and they made a "kitsch wedding table centre-piece"... (PS: that's my mom on the left)

These team created a "Calypso Angel"...

Basil created a very unique wine cooler contraption out of an old bag...

This team created a jewellery display stand for teen girls...

Soo with the "Dragon Wagon" she created...

Janet created a lovely glittery wall ornament (the pic doesn't do it justice)...

But the winning team (voted for by everyone else) was Team Toe-Jam (Tony triumphantly holds up the Franken-Trophy)...

Team Toe-Jam with the Franken-Trophy and their winning item... a bag made out of an old dress and a skipping rope.

So… all in all – a lovely morning.  Nice yummy food, coffee on tap, creative fun – all for a good cause!  My only regret is that I didn’t take “before” photos of everything.  Next time, I definitely will!

Congrats Team Toe-Jam!  See you all at the next Chop-Shop! x

Setting up the WOODO Workshop…

Things are moving quickly with our wonderful new WOODO Workshop!  Thanks to WOODO Wednesday Collections, we have a fantastic amount of donations….  clothes… clutter… bits ‘n pieces…. all of which we will USE to benefit the needy.  On Saturday next week, we’re having our FUNdraiser, aptly named “The Chop Shop” – and we’ve been frantically working to organise and prepare everything for our guests!

WE URGENTLY need storage stuff to be able to organise the workshop properly…  shelves, sturdy hanging racks, big bins on wheels, big plastic storage containers, etc.  If you can donate anything like this to WOODO – contact heather@woodowomen.net

So… excuse the chaos… but here’s just a few pics of our workshop in action.  Considering that WOODO is a brand new organisation – I wouldn’t say we’re doing too badly, huh?

The Piles...

This was at the beginning, when there was still space on the floor...

Adelaide sorting & hanging...

Soo posing...

Bits and bobs that we'll be using at Chop Shop...

Soo sorts through the fiddly stuff...

Soo on a pile of clothes - which later grew to triple that size...

Adelaide trying, unsuccessfully, to avoid the camera...

Zubedia pops in to check out the scene...

More interesting goodies...

The growing Shoe Mountain...

Growing collection of plates...

Heather and the "small stuff"...

All kinds of random, re-cyclable or up-cyclable goodies....

Adelaide takes a break... on the loo! (hehe!)

 

Our first Pretoria WOO…

We are hugely grateful to Angela and Driekie from Pretoria.  These two are perfect examples of women who don’t just talk, they DO!  They attended our WOODO “woo” on the 22nd October – and decided to host their own “woo” in Pretoria.  We supplied them with the goody bags and the powerpoint presentation – and they went ahead and organised the rest!

Not only that, Driekie also secured an interview on Radio RSG where she chatted about WOODO – and because of their “doing” – we now have a lounge suite, a mountain bike and a van-load full of donations from Pretoria!  All of these items, clothes & donations will be used to grow WOODO, set up sustainable initiatives for impoverished women, and give directly to the neediest and most desperate of people, charities and organisations.

THANK-YOU, Driekie & Angela!  You are both amazing and inspiring!

If you would like to host your own WOO – please contact Heather  - heather@woodowomen.net

Here’s some pics of the Pretoria woo:

Everything prepared for the guests...

Close up of the goody bags...

The presentation...

More presenting...

Driekie explaining about the re-cycling and up-cycling...

Driekie and Angela - two awesome women... who DO!

Our first WOODO FUNdraiser!

At our most recent WOODO Brainstorming Session at Soo’s house – we came up with a really cool idea for a FUNdraiser called “Chop Shop”.  It’s going to be so much fun, and Soo & I are already having loads of fun preparing it all!  Come along and support!!

To register, just click here.  Easy peasy!

Our new WOODO Workshop & Warehouse!

Wow!  How very blessed and fortunate are we!?

This is a pic of our brand new mini-factory… our WOODO Workshop & Warehouse.  This is where it all gets done!  The sorting… re-cycling.. up-cycling… the volunteer workshops… the creating of sustainable initiatives and baby businesses for those who need help…  this is our new WOODO “home base”.

We’re still in the process of moving in – but feel free to drop by.  We’re situated at 41 Outeniqua St, Alrode South (which is in Alberton).  It’s just off the Vereeniging highway.  Conveniently close to Thokoza, Eden Park and Katlehong… and easily reachable from Soweto & Eldorado Park.  It’s ideal!

Yay! Horay! – and a HUGE thank-you to Multiplug Marketing (Bob Patterson)… aka… my dad… for:

1. Letting us use the space rent-free for the first couple of months until we can afford to pay rent.
2. Keeping the rent really low for a space of this size.
3. Preparing it beautifully for us – and going far above and beyond what was expected!

Here’s a pic:

Our new WOODO Workshop & Warehouse

The Neighbourgoods Market in Jozi

It was only a couple of years ago when I, like so many other South Africans, had written off the inner city of Johannesburg.  Certainly, Braamfontein (or Braamies) was a place you visited only if you wanted musical instruments and equipment (because TOMS has been based there… like… forever).  Other than TOMS, there was no reason to venture into the city.

Wow – but how things have changed!

Last year, I was taken on a “Downtown Safari” of Braamfontein… and what an eye-opener!  Braamies has transformed completely!  Old, empty office buildings have been converted into funky student apartments (Braamies is home to WITS University, close to the University of Johannesburg… and all sorts of other colleges too).  Where once there was boarded up shops and dodgy-looking alleyways – there’s now lovely little coffee shops and eateries – and a whole line of fashion boutiques on Juta street.

I was duly impressed!

The reason why I mention this on the WOODO blog is because I would really encourage women to visit Braamies these days!  Hotel Lamunu sells delicious (and super-affordable) yummy food… there is astoundingly good coffee… and… of course, every Saturday, there is the Neighbourgoods Market which I strongly recommend!

Also – one day, we would like to open a store in Braamies – and we’d like to call it EGG (Everything Good to Go!) – and from there, we’d like to sell unique fashion, accessories, stationery & gifts from WOODO and from other organisations who support impoverished women – and who care for the planet too!

I won’t go into great detail about EGG in this post… but – just to inspire you and to give you a bit of a taste of the new Braamies, here are some pics I took whilst roaming Neighbourgoods Market on a Saturday morning with my husband & kidlets…x

Quite obviously... Morgan likes markets...

... and Joah likes the home-made chocolate ice-cream sold at markets...

Proteas - my favourite flower. I can't believe that I used to think they were ugly (when I was a kid)... I LOVE them now!

The most divine looking (and tasting) cup-cakes ever!

All kinds of different mushrooms... on a skewer... with nice spice stuff... yummers!

Ice-cold lemonade... mmmm....

These pies... were soooooo good! So, soooo good!!

Look at the big bowl of cream that he uses to blob on top of your slice of apple pie!

Every kind of fresh juice & smoothie imaginable!

Organic chocolate... and it comes in such nice little boxes...

The big, long table where everyone eats all the yummy stuff...

Pineapples...

My happy beetles...

DO-Day: Motsoaledi Pre-Primary

Motsoaledi Pre-Primary is a day-care centre and pre-primary school located in one of the informal settlements between Soweto and Eldorado Park.  This tiny school (consisting of a grouping of 3 shacks with a central courtyard) is where 85 children are looked after, educated and fed.  Most of the parents are very poor and often can’t afford school fees (the headmistress accepts the non-paying children regardless, knowing that many will be left unattended if the school doesn’t care for them).  Most of the children rely entirely on the school for food.  They arrive at school hungry – and the school’s final meal is also the final meal they will enjoy for the day.

Motsoaledi Pre-Primary employs a small staff of very hardworking ladies.  They cook 2 meals a day (in a tiny corrugated iron shack) for 85 children.  Just imagine that… for a second.  And especially try to imagine it in the heat of summer.

For our first WOODO Do-Day, we collaborated with “Imagine” (a small home church based in Olivedale).   We painted and repaired the shacks – and we donated a nice little mountain of much, much needed stationery, toys, art supplies and other educational material.

The headmistress was hugely grateful for this – since food is always their top priority, and there usually isn’t money left over for “luxuries” such as crayons, books, paper, puzzles and toys.

A huge thank-you to all of the generous women who donated specifically to this important cause!  And… a huge thank-you to the women who joined us on this DO-Day!  Thanks for BEING the change… x

Sorting out some of the donations...

The Classroom (there is only one classroom).

Soo with some of the "stuff"...

My son (Joah) enjoying the slide...

Jo with her youngest son, Joel (not sure what he's trying to do )

Some of the local kids came to watch the goings-on...

This is some of the donated stationery... THANK YOU, women who DO! Not pictured are the games & puzzles.

The daily menu...

Making do with whatever materials they have...

Our kids, sampling the donated toys...

Tracey sanding & varnishing the playground equipment...

Jo, painting...

WOODO Women (thanks, guys!)