Pop-up US corner launched

The US consulate has launched a pop-up American Corner at Second Office in Vincent, East London.

The Cape Town-based consulate is the mother body of nine pop-up corners that host workshops and empower South Africans through a series of programmes in communities.

The informative launch last week was attended by some of the alumni from exchange programmes hosted by the consulate, among other stakeholders the US organisations work with.

The programmes include Tech Women, One Beat, Hubert H Humphrey Fellowship and the Young African Leaders Initiative – the Mandela Washington Fellowship.

Commission for gender equality legal adviser Kerry Oosthuysen, Nkosinathi Foundation orientation and mobility practitioner Queen Molefe, Books for Children founder Dolly Siwundla and rural land rights attorney Khaya Tshiki were selected to attend.

Speaking at the launch, Cape Town businesswoman Tamburai Chirume, 32, said the pop-up corners were a great place to share the knowledge andexperience she gained in the US.

Chirume, owner of One of Each, a company that manufacturers handbags and other fashion items, said the programme had given her company an international footprint.

“Coming from a fashion retail and styling background and having worked on major fashion magazines such as Elle Bulgaria, I have also studied consumer science in retail fashion management.

“With all of that, nothing prepared me for doing business like the exchange programme.”

First secretary at the US Department of State Ellen Masi said they had rolled out several programmes throughout Buffalo City, including empowering young children from impoverished schools with assistance from the Steve Biko Centre.