Last week 25 young women graduated from the Sisters with Attitude programme, bringing to a total of 159 women who have benefited from this initiative since it was launched in 2017.
At the graduation, at Alliance Francaise in Portland, on Thursday November 22, the girls gave the crowd a show, with their dancing, beautiful singing – and a poetic song about procrastination.
Sisters with Attitude is a subdivision of the Blaq Pearl Foundation run by singer Janine Overmeyer, 36, from Beacon Valley.
Janine, also known as Blaq Pearl, has been in the performing arts for 15 years. She is the co-founder of the Blaq Pearl Foundation whose key focus is life skills training through the arts and sport.
One of the graduates, Labeeqah Arendse, 18, from Tafelsig, said she had learned how to better interact with others, while Candice Adams, 23, from Beacon Valley, said: “I’ve gotten to know myself as a woman. I have learned to stay positive, never letting anyone bring me down. It does not matter what society throws at us, but focusing on yourself, your mind and what you want out of life.”
Another graduate, Natasha Mkwane, 30, from Beacon Valley, added: “Goals are important to me. If I would like to become something in life, anything is possible, opportunities await us. If you put your mind to it and go for it, you can do.”
Janine said she started the Sisters with Attitude programme after she gave birth to her daughter, Adaya Krotoa Overmeyer.
“I am a woman and I know it’s tough out there for women. It was easier for me to want to have a boy instead of a girl. I had to make peace with having my baby girl. I will do everything in my power to protect her.”
This programme was also aimed at changing the way women see themselves, and encouraging them to own their place in society, said Janine. She reminded women to support each other and be there for one another. “Don’t forget what you’ve learned here today,” she said.
For more information, go to www.blaqpearlfoundation.org.za or or visit their offices at the Alliance Francaise building in Portland.