1. Franchesca Abrahams

Coming from the squatter camp of Vrygrond, Franchesca grew up in the harshest conditions imaginable.  Her early exposure to extreme privation and hardship made her determined to build herself a future in community development.  This was solidified by her life amongst people living below the breadline in Kalksteenfontein, Mitchells Plain and Delft, where she moved after her marriage.  She became deeply involved in community affairs in Delft.  When her marriage ended, she found herself facing the challenge of being a single, unemployed mother to two young and needy children.  Instead of letting the odds weigh her down, she was able to use her involvement in various community building programmes and her affiliation to various networking organisations as a springboard to open new opportunities.

Her combined passion for community development and need to earn a living has led to the birth and growth of RAC, which is now empowering many women in Delft, and touching the lives of many more.  Although she does not have any formal tertiary education Franchesca is driven by the motto "90% passion and drive and 10% capital" of her mentor, Raymond Ackerman.  Determined to grow her skills and the potential of RAC, she attends whatever affordable business courses and workshops are on offer to her.

2. Evelyn Makatees

Evelyn was born in the seaside village of Ocean View, a "coloured" fishing village where survival is a daily battle.  Early in life Evelyn recognized that struggle and hardship could only be combated by education and training, and so she grabbed any opportunity for training that came her way.

Evelyn moved to Delft early in her marriage and set up home for her family.  She soon recognised that the community of Delft needed help and support if they were to survive.  Even though she was engaged in full-time employment in the garment industry, Evelyn spent her spare time transferring her skills to other women in the community.  When the company which employed her liquidated, she refused to be beaten by these unfortunate circumstances.  Instead, she took this opportunity to start her own sewing business in Delft, and now sees this as the time when she began to realise her true potential. 

She has recently secured numerous sewing contracts making tracksuits and sportswear for the schools within the area. 

Today Evelyn is a respected community leader offering employment opportunities for many unskilled women in Delft.Evelyn has been part of RAC since its inception, and is now the Project Manager of the RAC Sewing Project, which works hard to skill women in this area, and secure sewing contracts for them.

3. Claudia Smith

Claudia was reared in Bellville South.  Early in life Claudia realised that her calling was in the medical profession helping people.  Claudia pursued her nursing career at Tygerberg Hospital where she was exposed to all the wards but found her home in the Burns Unit.  After many years of working at Tygerberg, Claudia wanted to assist the community outside the hospital environment. 

Claudia linked up with the womens' networking organization, SAWEN, but she soon realised that she needed to work with people on a more grass roots level because her passion was being amongst the people.She joined forces with another SAWEN member, Franchesca Abrahams, who was very involved in community work in Delft.  Claudia has since been offering her services in the Delft community, empowering the community. She offers training in wound care and all other aspects of first aid.

4. Dawn Boonzaier

Dawn spent much of her childhood on a farm in Simonstown.  During the forced land removals, her family was moved forcibly to Uniondale.  Shortly thereafter, she was again victimised by the apartheid system, as Uniondale did not have a high school for so-called "coloured" people. Dawn attended school in Heathfield and later moved on to Westlake.  Again due to the then South African government's restructuring of people's lives Dawn was forced to move out of Westlake and settled in Belhar.  Instead of this trauma filling Dawn with hate,  it strengthened her determination that she would one day use these experiences to assist others.

Dawn started her training in arts and craft and sewing at this time, attending courses at the Huguenot Library in Belhar.  She recognised that her strength lies in the development of people and has volunteered her services to the community for 18 years.  She has worked tirelessly to initiate sewing groups and arts and crafts.

After meeting with Franchesca, Dawn decided to attend floral arranging classes in Delft.  After attending a few courses in Delft Dawn recognized an opportunity to satisfy her niche within the Delft Community, and joined the Delft Women's' Flower Co-op.

Currently she is assisting with the training of trainers in Delft.

5. Virginia Jacobs

Virginia was born in the affluent "coloured" area of Athlone, but went to school in the poorer areas of Bridgetown and Ravensmead.  When she married, she set up home in Belhar, another "coloured" suburb in the Cape.  This moving around gave her a broader understanding of the difficulties experienced by families in these communities.

Virginia worked in various positions in the retail sector. This exposed her to numerous opportunities like attending baking courses and various business skills courses.  After the birth of her children, Virginia took a decision to stay at home simply because the high crime rate in Delft led her to fear for the safety of her children.  Whilst at home, she became aware of the training courses in arts and crafts, floral arrangement and business skills that were offered in Delft by RAC.

This is where Virginia has found her niche. She works tirelessly with the Delft community, assisting with skills transfer to those who show an interest.  She also assists in events management and private functions, and is especially committed to the development of the youth and unemployed in the area.