Expanding the eco-friendly cloth nappy industry in South Africa

Hello to everyone reading this...

My family and me (husband, me and our four beautiful girls, ages one to seven) have finally decided to take a big leap in our lives and move 960km (almost 600 miles) away from all and everything we’ve ever known. We will be moving to a small but growing town, where our children will be able to live free and safely. The great thing about a growing community is that there is so much opportunity and with the internet, options are endless.

We are a home-school family so I stay home with the children during the day while my husband goes out to work.

When my eldest was 5 years old (she is now 7), she asked me to teach her how to read and write. I had difficulty finding good material in our Afrikaans language and researched different teaching methods. I started designing exercises for her to do. Since she wanted to read and write I worked out a method so that she could learn both simultaneously. These exercises grew into a book and my husband motivated me to publish it. The book is called “Kyk mamma, ek leer lees en skryf” (“Look mommy, I can read and write”) - link to book https://scribonovus.co.za/product/kyk-mamma-ek-leer-lees-en-skryf/. Shortly after publishing it my husband (who is fluent in Afrikaans and English) helped me translate it into English ( https://scribonovus.co.za/product/look-mommy-i-can-read-and-write/). The book is available in hardcopy and pdf. (for home-print)

A few months after we self-published our first book, my second (she was 3 at the time) also wanted “to do school”. Since she was still so young, I designed a “play-book” where she got introduced to different things, shapes, colours, numbers, letters ect. This book is called “ Kyk mamma, ek word groot ” (Look mommy, I am growing up ) and of course we translated this one into English as well. It is also available in both hardcopy.

My eldest was learning so fast I started working on beginner reading series focusing on the vowels “a,e,i,o,u”. I wrote the stories and my husband illustrated the pictures by hand, I then digitally recreated all the pictures. Our beautiful creation, “ a,e,i,o,u Beginner Leesreeks ” can be found here. This book has not been translated to English. Rhymes do not translate well. It is available in pdf and hardcopy.

My latest book “Kyk mamma, ek leer nommers ” (Look mommy, I can do number s)is a foundation phase math book for Grade 0 or Grade 1, depending on the child’s development. Also translated into English. The math book is currently only available in pdf format, I am saving to get it in print. This Scribo Novus Education ( https://scribonovus.co.za/) is my one business, but I also have another...

(All my books were created using Linux software, LibreOffice, Inkscape, Scribus and Gimp.)

Being home with my children I actually had the time to teach myself sewing using the internet, Youtube and loads of practice. September 2017 Bernina hosted a competition where you had to submit three incontinence adult cloth nappies to enter. Since I am environmental-friendly, “use cloth diapers on my own children”, a sewist and really needed a new sewing machine I decided to enter. I won second place and my price was a Bernette sewing machine and overlocker (manufactured by Bernina), I was so thrilled!

In the beginning of this year (2018) I decided to start making cloth nappies and sent out my first testers in February. My little business, “Boegoe Bugz” is an expansion on “Die Hekel Hoekie” (The crochet corner). My main focus for Boegoe bugz was custom-made nappies, but I soon launched my very own and unique “Cloth Denim Nappy”. I added ergonomical baby carriers, mama cloth (reusable sanitaryware for women) and children’s clothing to my list. I also recently launched a “Budget Nappy” that will be economical, locally made and still great quality.

Link to the BB Baby Carrier youtube video:

Both my businesses are still very small and don’t generate much of an income yet. I am in need of an industrial sewing machine for my baby carriers (I currently use a 1950’s vintage Empisal) and an industrial overlocker (my Bernette overlocker is taking quite some strain). I want to expand both my businesses to make a decent income and with us moving to a growing community both my businesses will be an asset there (still running online of course). If I can acquire stronger machines, buy my supplies in bulk and print my books in bulk, I will be able to manufacture my products faster and sell them at the best prices possible.

I want to get a shop in the new town to sell my products as well as hiring people to help me sell and manufacture. I also plan to start a charity organisation where donors can sponsor a mom with her own stash of cloth nappies.

So that’s why I am here, to ask you to help fund my growing businesses. This is a great opportunity for me to take that leap.

Money will be distributed as follows:

• Moving fees – R20 000 ($1420)
• Industrial sewing machine – R10 000 ($710)
• Industrial overlocker – R10 000 ($750)
• Bulk printing of books – R25 000 ($1780)
• Shop start- and setup costs – R15 000 ($1070)
• Bulk sewing supplies for manufacture of Budget nappies – R30 000 ($2200)
• If more than the requested amount is funded, it will go towards a Cover-seam stitch Machine saving
• Total: $7890