Virginia Hlophe joined ACAT as a group member in 2020.

Virginia Hlophe joined ACAT as a group member in 2020. She says:
“When you stay in the village, one thing you can do, is to plant in the field or have a vegetable garden. The extension officer from the Department of Agriculture is not available to guide and give informal training at the community level, so I am very thankful to ACAT for coming alongside to educate us on issues of development. A year after joining the group, I planted potatoes they way I was taught. I was very excited to get a yield of ten 90kg bags of potatoes which I re-packed and sold for R45 per 10kg. ACAT’s trainings has opened my eyes, to see how capacitated I can become. The time must come to an end when our hope of surviving depends on the government. My goal is to supply the community with vegetables especially potatoes. I have mobilised other members to start a savings group, and they have started saving this year (2022). I am saving towards taking my farming career forward. I now network with another organisation that supports development in my area.”