Cathy has been working with Lydia’s Misson since November of 2018. She started as a member of Claire’s weekly group in the garbage dump of eManzana. She was selling recycled goods before coming to work here. She has proven herself a dedicated and proficient worker and has recently been promoted to the position of Garden Supervisor. She lives at home with her husband, two of her children and her 5 dogs, all of whom she loves dearly! She has 3 children, Lucia 34, Eunice 31, Nathi 28. She also has 7 grandchildren! Her favorite job to do on the farm is to work with the chickens. Since starting here she has made a garden and chicken coop at her home. In her free time she takes care of her garden, care for her animals and does the washing for her family. Her goal for the future is to take care of her children until they can start taking care of her. Cathy’s smiling face and overall jovial attitude is a welcome piece of everyday life on the farm of Lydia’s Mission.

Zodwa started with Lydia’s Mission in January of 2019. Zodwa was a member of the women’s group at the dumping site. Before coming here she worked sorting recycling. She lives in eManzana with her husband and 6 children – Jabulane, Khabo, Thuli, Mduduzi, Phethile and Fortunate. She also has 4 grandchildren.
Her life has changed a lot since starting to work at Lydia’s Mission. For example, she is able to do everything that she wants to do. She is able to afford to do things now instead of constantly worrying about her finances. Her favorite work to do on the farm is anything as she’s just happy to be working outside. When she is not at work she likes to tend to her home and yard, she has a garden at home she is getting ready to plant. On Sundays she attends church. Her goal for the future is to renovate her house, to make it bigger. Zodwa is kind, caring, faithful and hardworking and we are blessed to have her at Lydia’s Mission.

Thalitha started in November of 2018. She was working at the eManzana garbage dump when she met Claire and started attending her weekly women’s groups. She was not working before this. She lives in eManzana with her family. She has 9 children – Sbongile, Frida, Nathi, Mbali, Rato, Sphesihle, Banele, Surprise and Mfaftuthi. She also has 4 grandchildren. Her life has changed in several ways since she started working for Lydia’s Mission. She is so happy to be working and before taking this job she admits she was struggling. She loves doing everything around the farm and garden. She learned to drive a riding lawn mower while on the farm. She has even driven the tractor a little. When she is not working at Lydia’s Mission she tends to her yard and garden at home and grows spinach. She also makes house mats and other handcrafts. Thalitha’s wish is to be able to send her children to University so they can help her provide for the family. We are so lucky to have a hard and dedicated worker like Thalitha on the farm!

Elizabeth joined the project in October 2019. She was chosen for the job by her peers in the weekly group at the garbage dump in eManzana. She was selling and sorting recycled goods before coming to work at Lydia’s Mission. She is happy to have a job here and she likes coming to work. She loves all aspects of working on the farm from the chickens to the gardens. She lives in eManzana by herself. She had a child, Mnisi who passed away when she was young. When she is not working Elizabeth likes to clean her yard, do the washing and go to church. Her dream for the future is to build her own house to live in. Since Elizabeth started she has been happy to work any job and is always pitching in with a great attitude. We hope she stays with us for a long time and achieves her dreams.

Zodwa started working with Lydia’s Mission in August 2019. Before coming to Lydia’s Mission she was sorting recycled goods at the eManzana garbage dump. Her life has changed so much since starting work here. She often struggled to buy food beforehand and now is able to buy food for her children and family. She has 5 children, Gertrude, Ntokozo, Nompumelo, Mthokozisi, Nokubonga. Zodwa also has 7 grandchildren. Her favorite job to do on the farm is to clean up the yard. When she is not at work she can be found keeping house -cleaning, washing, et cetera – and on Sundays she is an active member at church. For the future she dreams to be able to continue working hard so she can build a house for her family. Zodwa is a faithful and hard worker – she is always smiling during whatever she is working on. We are so lucky to have Zodwa on Lydia’s Mission and will cheer her on to reach her goals.

Evidence started with Lydia’s Mission in March of 2019. Evidence and her mother were a part of the weekly women’s group that is led at the eManzana garbage dump. Originally, Evidence’s mother, Veleminah, was offered the job- but asked the Mission to take Evidence, her daughter, instead. She wanted a better life for her daughter. Evidence lives at home with her daughter Buhle who is 3 and Veleminah. Evidence’s life has changed a lot since coming to work here. She has learned so many work skills from working in the garden and working with the chickens. Since starting, she has been able to buy food to feed her family. She has also been able to buy a bed to sleep on and to add a window to her room. Her favorite job on the farm is to work with the chickens. When she is not at work she likes to clean her home, do the washing and hang out with her friends. Her dream for the future is to get married and have a happy family. Evidence has been nicknamed Everyday by her coworkers and although she is the youngest employee, she has proved a faithful worker. We are thankful for her young energy, her hard work and the smile that she wears every day.