It is frequently the case that some of the most impressive examples of creative female entrepreneurship unfold unobtrusively, without fuss or fanfare, leaving the energy that they invest and the rewards that they reap to speak for themselves. For these types of initiatives success is entirely dependent on adapting their operations to suit their environment and, sometimes, developing and executing a plan the works for everyone.
Working together and knowing each other has helped the women farmers, members of the Mahaica Women’s Group to understand the value of networking. The group is not a Cooperative. Its members are individual businesswomen, concerned with the success of their separate enterprises. On the other hand, they understand only too well that their interests converge so that the thirty sturdy womenfolk, each of whom operates her own home-based business in communities within the Unity/Vereeniging Neighbourhood Democratic Council work together out of a clear individual understanding of the benefit of so doing.
The purpose of the ‘collective’ is to afford the women the opportunity to access resources available through governmental and non-governmental organizations, taking advantage of criteria that include group criteria. The collective benefit having been realized they go their separate ways, temporarily, at least, to immerse themselves in their separate ventures mostly in agriculture – crops and poultry – or else, in craft, and sewing.
