Southern Africa

South Africa

In 1995 Jubilee Trading was established in Cape Town with help from local businessmen and a team from Project Gateway, a multi-project development initiative in Pietermaritzberg, South Africa.

Employing local men and women from the townships in Cape Town, Jubilee began a bead and jewellery making project. With their own workshop, kilns and equipment, the project quickly grew. With new staff, new skills were added, and the project started to produce wirework, handmade cards and other products alongside their jewellery. Products were sold throughout South Africa, and were also exported to the UK to sell at craft fairs, conferences, home parties and online.

The project continues to flourish, being the main suppliers to Tiger’s Eye, a well known chain of stores in South Africa that sell their products at airports and tourist attractions. A fully sustainable business emerged from this venture which in November 2005 was handed over to be managed by people in the local township of Guguletu.

Some of the founders of Jubilee Trading, South Africa now assist in the running of an AIDS advice centre, working with orphans and children whose parents are suffering from the AIDS virus.