Relate Bracelets has raised R80 million for social impact by selling over 4.4 million handmade bead bracelets. Through this initiative, the organisation is helping create jobs, support charities, and empower disadvantaged communities in South Africa.
South Africa (20 January 2025) – There is no doubt that 2024 was a difficult year for many, even as sentiment improved following the swearing-in of a new administration. While change won’t happen overnight to grow the economy, create jobs, and reduce poverty, these goals will be harder to attain without a positive outlook.
South Africa has the world’s highest inequality level, as determined by the Gini coefficient, with a huge discrepancy between those who have and those who don’t. Unemployment is rife – although more jobs were created in the last quarter, declining from a two-year low.
The economy, too, is stagnant. Having gained an adjusted 0.3% in the second quarter, it declined by the same rate in the third as a slump in the volatile agriculture sector dragged down growth. Despite significant gains in the last quarter, we will have to wait and see if the country achieved the 1% growth that was expected for 2024.
Amid all of this, South Africans continue to be amazing people. Reflect on how we all stood together in support of the Springboks win after win in recent years. Even in our darkest moments, like the period of unrest in 2021, many people in our nation stood hand-in-hand, not just to help stop looting as far as possible but also to rebuild what had been destroyed.
At Relate Bracelets, they have seen this gees first-hand as companies invested in their bracelets to sell to communities, enabling them to raise a massive R80 million since inception from the sale of more than 4.4 million bracelets – so far. The non-profit has, as a result, contributed to millions of charities that seek to end malaria, protect wildlife, and develop emotionally and intellectually well-rounded youth to become active members of society.
Simultaneously, thanks to this circular economy, 400 Gogos have been able to earn a living. Grandmother-led households are a characteristic that is unique to South Africa because of its Apartheid legacy that made working-age citizens migrate to bigger cities to find jobs, leaving their children in the care of Gogos. Now, the restraints of this legacy are being undone through communities that band together for progress.
Grandmothers at pensionable age run some 1.5 million households, which is about 11% of all households in South Africa. We can’t change this socio-economic situation in a day, but we can commit to work that will ease some of the burden; that’s Relate’s core ethos.
Relate was founded with a vision to help the less fortunate create better lives for themselves. It was an idea sparked by the belief that lots of little could make a big difference. They strive to empower the less fortunate, offering them opportunities for a better life through the creation of handmade beaded bracelets. Relate focuses on creating earning opportunities for all involved, at every stage. Since its inception in 2008, 60% of revenue has been donated to credible causes and invested in social upliftment.
“We have no plans to stop doing our best to make a change. With the new year well upon us, we are working towards expanding our reach, supporting more causes, and driving deeper community transformation. We will continue with our mission to empower disadvantaged South Africans, which isn’t limited to Gogos, but includes the youth and grandfathers (Tatas) as poverty knows no boundaries.
Related Stories
We aim to continue creating employment for unskilled South Africans, with young people also able to learn as they work, helping break the ‘no experience, no work’ cycle that keeps millions of South Africans from building a career path.
Every one of our handmade bracelets carries a unique purpose because each bracelet helps change a life. They are a tangible representation of South Africans pulling together to help break the cycle of poverty.”
Souper Troopers Has Moved Hundreds Off the Streets. Now it Needs Help to Keep its Lifeline Open
SA's Incredible Volunteer Therapy Dogs Are the Gentlest Heroes!
by 
