Woza Moya EmboCraft Store

Woza Moya (Come Spirit of Change in IsiZulu language) is the economic empowerment project of Hillcrest AIDS Centre Trust.

Woza Moya’s mission is to unearth creativity that creates economic empowerment through traditional quality local crafts made by people in need.

Woza Moya beaded bowls

Started in 2002 with five beaders making AIDS ribbons at a local church, the project now supports more than 350 crafters, most of whom have 5-10 dependents.

In 2016 Woza Moya and Embocraft Training Centre formed a partnership and the Woza Moya Embocraft shop was opened.

Crafters were referred to Woza Moya by other HACT departments, including the respite unit, counselling department and home-based care project.

The Embocraft Training Centre, is a skills training centre, uplifting community members in skills such as basic sewing, advanced sewing, arts and crafts, basic computer and arc welding.

The crafters are mostly women and are almost all first time money earners, having set up bank accounts for the first time in order to receive their payments from Woza Moya.

Every week the crafters come to HACT to sell their crafts to Woza Moya, everything from beadwork, wirework, woodwork and even crochet.

By selling Woza Moya their crafts, the crafters become self-empowered and self-employed.

“We have found that being financially secure gives our crafters hope, and the luxury of looking to the future; because of this they take ownership of their disease and fight to stay healthy.”

Woza Moya is dedicated to both their crafters and to their customers, and as such are careful to only take in work of a high quality and to give on-going training to the crafters so the standard is met and kept and they can be proud of the work they bring in.

Woza Moya encourages the crafters to come up with new, creative ideas and, as much as possible, for the crafters to set their own prices.

Woza Moya has a very special relationship with each crafter and takes care of each individual. The sale from their crafts is the only source of income for close to 95% of our 350 crafters.

“Every item bought from us has already helped to empower, uplift and inspire and to give hope to a family in need.”

Woza Moya is an amazing example of an innovative project. It has taken a traditional African craft – beading – and modernized it and made it relevant and appealing to customers both local and international.

One of the biggest successes of Woza Moya has been its innovative product creation – from the famous Little Traveller beaded dolls, to the World’s First Fully Beaded Suit, to the Dreams for Africa Chair that sold at a record-breaking R750,000 to a private Cape Town buyer, the Dreams for Africa coffee table book, to the yarn bombed tree at the front of HACT’s property,  to the beautiful beaded necklaces in a huge array of colours and design, to gift cards, to the upcycling project that produces beautiful products out of waste – everything that Woza Moya does is innovative.

It has popularised African beadwork again and made it appeal not just to African markets but to all South Africans and internationally in countries including Australia, Germany, Holland and the USA.

Shop Hours:

Weekdays from 8am to 4pm
Saturdays from 8am to 2pm

Telephone: +27 31 765 3697
Address: 26 Old Main Road, BOTHA’S HILL

Woza Moya Hillcrest
Address:  26 Old Main Road, HILLCREST

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