Many women who are released from Pollsmoor Prison find themselves returning there again. Hansie Elcock speaks to Callan Riddles about how she works to break this cycle through the Hands of Hope project.
Hansie Elcock – Founder of the Hands of Hope Project. PHOTO: Callan Riddles
*The fortress that is Pollsmoor Maximum Security Prison contains thousands of prisoners behind high fences, barred windows, barbed wire and bricks.
It is at Pollsmoor Prison that Hansie Elcock, a retired teacher and founder of the NGO, Hands of Hope, volunteers four days a week when she is not at home with her husband in Blouberg.
From where she works, one would think she would be as hardened as the prison. But the gentle smile lines etched into her skin says otherwise.
The beginning
Hansie, as she prefers to be called, started the Hands of Hope project in 2011. The project develops entrepreneurial skills and creates opportunities for women on parole from Pollsmoor Prison in Cape Town.
These women sew and sell various bags to earn a stable income while on parole.
“I can remember one day in Wellington, it was twelve o’clock, and I saw all these people sitting next to the road waiting to be picked up [for work opportunities] and I just burst out crying,” says Hansie. “I said, that is so unfair; when people want to work but they can’t find a job.”
Hansie recalls that it all started with her friend who called to seek her help. Her friend had heard her reverend speak at her church. They were desperately seeking the help of volunteers at the prison. So Hansie went to help her friend.
“We taught people to do banners and that’s where it all happened,” says Hansie.
Hansie saw the women going in and out of prison while she was volunteering at Pollsmoor with the church. The project was inspired by the endless cycle the women in prison found themselves in.
“People would promise me that they’re never going back to prison, but in a month or two, they’re back. They’re in and out of prison all their lives,” says Hansie.
She believes the reason for this cycle is because when leaving prison, these women have no skills, no job and no way of providing for themselves and their families. So they turn back to crime.
“One day, I just said: ‘I’m going to start a business for you and I’ll teach you to make bags.’ I had never made a bag in my entire life,” says Hansie.
In the beginning, Hansie started off with free samples she had managed to get from fabric houses through her niece.
“My niece is an interior decorator so I saw all the sample books, and the fabric samples were just big enough to make bags,” she says.
Hansie bought patterns and learned to sew the bags very quickly. She started with the limited equipment she had.
“We started with old donated domestic sewing machines [and made] fabric bags. Everyone felt sorry for us so they bought these ‘feeling-sorry bags’. But that’s how we started,” says Hansie.
She makes it clear that they do not want handouts. “We’ve never asked anyone for money. We’ve always worked for our own money. Not a single month have we not been able to pay our people, and I can almost weep about that,” she says.
She recalls their struggle to get started. “It’s difficult to get into the market. People don’t trust you. They won’t just give you a chance,” says Hansie.
A turning point for Hands of Hope was when Groot Constantia started to buy their ‘pity bags’. Hansie then decided that they should start making wine cooler bags for the wine estate instead.
Groot Constantia Wine Estate was among Hands of Hope’s first clients. PHOTO: Supplied. Hansie Elcock/ Hands of Hope.
“We’re so fortunate that Groot Constantia gave us the chance. They were our first clients,” says Hansie.
Hands of Hope now commits itself to producing high-quality products.
“We don’t send [out] junk,” says Hansie. “The people who work for me are hard-working people who want to provide for themselves. That’s how simple it is.”
The women and their stories
Hansie speaks about some of the women from the prison who work for her.
“Our cutter has been in prison, she had a life sentence [because] she killed someone. She’s the nicest person I’ve ever met in my entire life,” says Hansie. “I love her like my own sister.”
Hansie says that none of the women are in prison for no reason. They are dealing with big problems, she says. According to Hansie, it is generally because they have been abused as children.
“I think of [one] of the first people who came to work for us. Her mother used to say to her every day: ‘I wish a bus would kill you’. She was so awful,” says Hansie.
Hansie says that if you should meet her now, however, she is a lovely girl.
“She was a drug addict, but then she became a Christian and we supported her,” said Hansie. Hansie recalls the first day the woman arrived, she stole R200 from them, but Hansie was quick to forgive her.
“We are an organisation that gives second chances and third chances. We want their lives to be changed,” said Hansie.
Hansie reflects on how the woman’s life has changed.
“Now the whole community looks up to [her] because she’s a totally new person. That’s my thing. Even if you change one person’s life, it affects everyone and it gives them hope,” she says. “Everyone is a story.”
The women of the Hands of Hope project learn to sew bags. PHOTO: Supplied. Hansie Elcock/ Hands of Hope
“We had one person,” Hansie goes on, “she was the best machinist I’ve ever had, but she used to fight every day.”
In the beginning, she thought there was an element of ungratefulness, but through the conflicts Hansie has faced, she shows understanding for the women she works with and what they have been through.
“People who have been hurt, hurt other people. That’s how it is. So I struggled with that in the beginning, but over the years you become family,” she says. “The lady who used to always fight with me used to fight with everyone. But I love her.”
She compares it to how children fight when they’re small, but then love their brothers and sisters when they have grown up.
Hansie says none of the women who have joined Hands of Hope have gone back to crime.
“I’ve seen murderers change completely. Any person can change. They just need self-worth and that’s what a job gives them,” she says.
The struggles
Setting up Hands of Hope did not come without its struggles.
“In the beginning, I stupidly tried to do absolutely everything, but I’ve learned that you must just do what you’re doing and do it well,” says Hansie. “The more people [you involve], the more is taken off of you.”
Hansie does not want the project to be dependent on her. She wants it to be able to carry on even if she is no longer there.
Beach bags made by the women of the Hands of Hope Project. PHOTO: Supplied. Hansie Elcock / Hands of Hope
The business still comes with its challenging periods as well.
“Last year we had this huge order from Rand Merchant Bank and that’s when we had load shedding all the time,” says Hansie.
She says they were under so much pressure because their machines could not work without electricity. Their deadline also could not be moved.
“They had an event and it had to be finished by then. So we couldn’t ask for a week or two extra. Some nights we worked until twelve o’clock,” she says.
Another struggle is that these women arrive with nothing.
“They come out of prison with the clothes that they [have] on their backs,” she says. According to her, many of them do not have a decent bed to sleep in.
“I wish I had the money to just buy a decent bed for each and every one of them so that they could have a good night’s sleep,” says Hansie.
Hansie does not take a salary from the project and is supported by her husband. She has faith that they will never lack money. “All the money that we make, goes to them.”
The future
Hansie has lots of plans for the future. “My wish for the future is for lots of work and lots of orders – and that more corporates will use us.”
Hansie says that Hands of Hope cannot take in new women if they cannot afford to pay them.
They are also in need of a bigger space, as their current space is quite small.
“You can’t even open the windows because there are serious burglar bars on [them] to prevent break-ins,” says Hansie.
Bags made by the women of the Hands of Hope Project. PHOTO: Supplied. Hansie Elcock / Hands of Hope
Her next desire is to take in young people who are awaiting trial. She wants to be able to train these young people, especially young women, to sew, and to equip them to provide for themselves.
“There are so many young people awaiting trial. It’s frightening,” she says.
Hansie is also in the process of recruiting someone to do marketing for the project, which she believes will help greatly with getting new orders in, and should take more of the pressure off her.
She remains passionate about her work on the project and believes that her work goes far beyond the prison walls. “Even if you can change one person’s life, it affects everyone.”
*Please note: This interview was conducted before the nationwide lockdown regulations were implemented.
