Ewuraba - Professional African Women with Class and Style

The Cape Times/V&A Waterfront/Vodacom Woman of Worth for 2006 has been announced at a high-profile luncheon at the Table Bay Hotel at the V&A Waterfront. This prestigious title is awarded annually to outstanding women who are an inspiration to others; women who are passionate about making a difference to the lives of others, whether they are comforting the brokenhearted, feeding the hungry, healing the sick or fighting for human or animal rights.

This year, five courageous women have touched the hearts of thousands of South Africans. Only one claims the title of Cape Times/V&A Waterfront Woman of Worth 2006.

The Winner 

Kerryn Pitt- Single - handedly saves lives
In the Monwabisi Park at lunchtime there is always a line of hungry people waiting for soup from the kitchen which Kerryn Pitt helped to set up. When they see Kerryn, their eyes sparkle because they know that they are going to get their first, maybe even their last meal of the day. Mamakiki, as they fondly call her, is their inspiration and a true friend. Kerryn runs a paramedical operation called Medics Inc. Using the money she makes from working as a paramedic on international film sets, she travels all over the Cape Peninsula and treats sick people from the back of her bakkie. Most of these people have no other access to medical facilities.

In the community of Monwabisi Park on the outskirts of Khayelitsha, sick people had no choice but to travel more than 6 kilometres by foot to the Harare Day Hospital, often leaving at 3am in the morning to get there when the gates open at 5am. Seeing their heartache, Kerryn set out to change the situation. She is busy setting up a mobile clinic for the community. This brave woman touches the hearts of everyone she comes across with her cheerful nature and optimistic outlook on life. She also manages to find the time to be a supportive mother to two young children.

Contact details:
Cell: 072 739 3722
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Dee Moskoff - Reaches out to women and children in need
A paediatric nurse by training, Dee Moskoff is a natural-born leader driven by a sense of justice. She has devoted her life to nurturing single mothers and abused children, providing them with opportunities to make the right life choices and build a better future for themselves. It has always been Dee's dream to unite the many organisations caring for women and children in the Western Cape. In 2004, this became a reality when she founded the Connect Network, a support structure for projects empowering more than 15 000 women and 40 000 children in disadvantaged communities like Lwandle, Nomzama and Khayelitsha. These projects focus on training, early education, orphan care, youth at risk, street children, sexual exploitation of children and facilitator training amongst other things.

Despite the size of her network, Dee frequently visits all of her projects, providing her colleagues with regular opportunities to learn new skills and exchange experiences. She also finds the time to nurture her own family.

Contact details:
Tel (W): (021) 852 9900
Cell: 082 610 6001
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Tina Botha - Makes a difference by touching people's hearts
Tina's 15 year-old son Chris was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in 1997. A few years later, he needed a bone marrow transplant with an unrelated matched donor. At the time, however, there were less than 1000 donors on the South African Bone Marrow Registry, making a local search impossible. So Tina embarked on a worldwide search involving almost 6 million donors. She did eventually succeed in finding a match but tragically Chris relapsed and passed away in 2000.

Far from being disillusioned, Tina was motivated by her experience. She realised that she had the power to give thousands of other families hope, by developing the Sunflower Fund, which finances and recruits new bone marrow donors from all walks of life, from all over South Africa. Since 1999, this wonderful woman has helped to grow the South African Bone Marrow Registry from 1200 donors to over 59 000. Each one of these new donors represents a chance to save someone's life.

Contact details:

Tel (W): (021) 701 0661
Cell: 082 725 7222
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Vuyiswa "Thoko" Ndlumbini - Helps families get to grips with domestic violence
Seeing members of her community suffering from the consequences of domestic violence touched Thoko's heart. She is a gender activist, a motivational speaker and a community ambassador. She also has the unique ability to speak to people of all ages and offer advice on a wide range of subjects, from adolescence to parenting. That's why Thoko initiated a support group for them called Chumani. Through this organisation, she provides women and children with a space to share their experiences, heal each other and rebuild their family relationships.

Chumani, together with Men in Graceland has also initiated an educational programme for men in Khayelitsha that raises awareness about the negative effects of domestic violence and the extensive damage it causes to women and children. Thoko currently works in the Information Management Directorate of the Department of Health. She is a single mother of two.

Contact details:
Tel (W): (021) 483 5213
Cell: 083 508 7253
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Maurita Newman-Weissenberg - Lends disadvantaged children a helping hand
Maurita is a teacher, a mother and an inspiration. She helps children from formerly disadvantaged communities to overcome their learning difficulties and discover their hidden talents. In 1999, Maurita founded the School Partner's Trust, with Observatory Junior School as the beneficiary. The Trust was given an empty classroom at the school and she raised funds to turn it into a cosy and fully-equipped learning support centre - and so SHINE (Support & Help in Education) was born.

Through SHINE, Maurita empowers many people: teachers, fellow students, the queues of volunteers who offer their services at the SHINE Centre and of course, many, many children. She is also a loving wife and mother to twin boys aged 5.

Cell: 083 442 6967
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source: http://www.waterfront.co.za