

Woman Of Stature Foundation
About Us
The Woman of Stature Foundation’s unique value proposition is its commitment to empowering and supporting women entrepreneurs at all stages of their journey. Through a comprehensive range of programs, mentoring, networking opportunities, and resources, the Foundation aims to equip women with the skills, knowledge, and confidence they need to succeed in the business world.
The Foundation’s emphasis on personal development, leadership, and community building sets it apart, creating a supportive and collaborative environment that encourages women to take risks, pursue their dreams, and achieve their full potential.
Ultimately, the Woman of Stature Foundation is dedicated to promoting gender equality and economic growth by empowering women entrepreneurs to succeed and make a positive impact in their communities.
Our Vision
Our core vision is to drive positive change and contribute to a more equitable and just society.
We envision a future where women worldwide are empowered to reach their full potential, both personally and professionally, despite the socio-economic and societal challenges they face.
As a Proudly South African Non-Profit Company and a leading Women Empowerment Organization, we are committed to creating sustainable growth opportunities for women entrepreneurs globally, while collaborating with men and women who share our vision and values.
To achieve our goal of impacting 10,000 women to scale and accelerate their businesses within the next decade, we will provide personalized personal, professional, and entrepreneurial development programs. Through our strategic partnerships with organizations and individuals who share our vision, we will leverage our combined expertise and resources to create more significant social impact.
We believe in a balanced approach, recognizing the importance of encouraging women and men to work together to achieve gender equality and a more equitable society. By fostering a culture of collaboration, mutual support, and collectivism, we can create a global community of empowered individuals who share their knowledge and resources to help each other succeed.
Our Woman Rise Projects will focus on empowering women-owned businesses globally, with a particular emphasis on developing economies where access to resources and support is limited. Through these collaborative efforts, we envision a future where women worldwide are empowered, and their contributions to society are recognized and celebrated.
We believe by empowering women to succeed and make a positive impact on society, will contribute to a more equitable and prosperous future for all.
Our Mission
Our mission is to empower women entrepreneurs globally by providing them with personalized personal, professional, and entrepreneurial development programs. We will collaborate with men, women and organizations who share our vision of gender equality and work together towards creating a more equitable society.
Through our Woman Rise Projects, we aim to provide sustainable growth opportunities for women-owned businesses, especially in developing economies where resources and support are limited. By recognizing and celebrating the achievements of women, we strive to inspire excellence and encourage a culture of collaboration, mutual support, and collectivism, creating a global community of empowered women who share their knowledge and resources to help each other succeed.
The Problem:
The core problem that we are solving is the systemic barriers and socio-economic challenges that prevent women from reaching their full potential, both personally and professionally. Despite progress in recent years, women continue to face gender-based discrimination, unequal access to resources and opportunities, and societal expectations that limit their aspirations and abilities. This situation is particularly acute in developing economies, where women often lack access to education, financing, and support networks that are essential for entrepreneurial success.
Our organization aims to address this problem by providing personalized personal, professional, and entrepreneurial development programs to women entrepreneurs worldwide, especially in developing economies. By empowering women with the skills, knowledge, and resources they need to succeed, we can help them overcome the barriers and challenges that they face and enable them to make a positive impact on their communities and societies.
Through our Woman Rise Projects, we also aim to foster a culture of collaboration, mutual support, and collectivism, creating a global community of empowered women who share their knowledge and resources to help each other succeed. By doing so, we can contribute to a more equitable and just society where women’s contributions are recognized and celebrated.
The Woman of Stature Foundation’s unique value proposition is its commitment to empowering and supporting women entrepreneurs at all stages of their journey. Through a comprehensive range of programs, mentoring, networking opportunities, and resources, the Foundation aims to equip women with the skills, knowledge, and confidence they need to succeed in the business world. The Foundation’s emphasis on personal development, leadership, and community building sets it apart, creating a supportive and collaborative environment that encourages women to take risks, pursue their dreams, and achieve their full potential. Ultimately, the Woman of Stature Foundation is dedicated to promoting gender equality and economic growth by empowering women entrepreneurs to succeed and make a positive impact in their communities.

A Message from
Charlotte du Plessis
WOMAN OF STATURE CEO
Our Programs
Professional Collective Membership Programme
The purpose of Professional Collective is to be a vehicle through which you can access and connect with professional business leaders in various industries and around the world; to open doors of opportunity where you can connect, build meaningful relationships and to be a source of information and knowledge based content through the various channels.
Woman Rise Mentoring Programme
Woman Rise is a programme within Woman of Stature Foundation with the aim of uplifting young female professionals and business owners with various initiatives. The mentoring programme is a mechanism for fund raising in the foundation as well as an opportunity to provide value to young female professionals.
The aim of the Woman Rise mentoring initiative is to match the WOS award winners in the various categories with women who require support and assistance in their careers. Award winners will mentor five women once a month for six months following their award.
Accelerate - Her Programme
This is a 6-month program designed to assist in accelerating growth in women-owned small businesses that struggle to grow due to the lack of resources and includes Mentoring, Business and Financial Coaching. We refer to these businesses as ‘Caged Businesses’ and with being on the program will have access to support that will accelerate their business growth
It follows a strict application and approval process.
1) To qualify your business must be in operation for a minimum of 2 years with an annual turnover of not less than R500K or more than R1M.
2) We require proof of financial records. Either bank statements or last Annual Financial Statement.
3) The applicant must provide proof of company registration and identity
4) Assistance may not come in the form of finance, but in coaching and mentoring
5) The foundation does not pay any money directly to beneficiary
6) The applicant must be willing to be interviewed by the board of directors
Our Vision
Our core vision is to drive positive change and contribute to a more equitable and just society.
We envision a future where women worldwide are empowered to reach their full potential, both personally and professionally, despite the socio-economic and societal challenges they face.
As a Proudly South African Non-Profit Company and a leading Women Empowerment Organization, we are committed to creating sustainable growth opportunities for women entrepreneurs globally, while collaborating with men and women who share our vision and values.
To achieve our goal of impacting 10,000 women to scale and accelerate their businesses within the next decade, we will provide personalized personal, professional, and entrepreneurial development programs. Through our strategic partnerships with organizations and individuals who share our vision, we will leverage our combined expertise and resources to create more significant social impact.
We believe in a balanced approach, recognizing the importance of encouraging women and men to work together to achieve gender equality and a more equitable society. By fostering a culture of collaboration, mutual support, and collectivism, we can create a global community of empowered individuals who share their knowledge and resources to help each other succeed.
Our Woman Rise Projects will focus on empowering women-owned businesses globally, with a particular emphasis on developing economies where access to resources and support is limited. Through these collaborative efforts, we envision a future where women worldwide are empowered, and their contributions to society are recognized and celebrated.
We believe by empowering women to succeed and make a positive impact on society, will contribute to a more equitable and prosperous future for all.
Our Mission
Our mission is to empower women entrepreneurs globally by providing them with personalized personal, professional, and entrepreneurial development programs. We will collaborate with men, women and organizations who share our vision of gender equality and work together towards creating a more equitable society.
Through our Woman Rise Projects, we aim to provide sustainable growth opportunities for women-owned businesses, especially in developing economies where resources and support are limited. By recognizing and celebrating the achievements of women, we strive to inspire excellence and encourage a culture of collaboration, mutual support, and collectivism, creating a global community of empowered women who share their knowledge and resources to help each other succeed.
How It Works
Various programmes, such as the Woman Rise ™ Programmes, are run as interventions to promote financial independence and holistic wellbeing for Women in business who find themselves dealing with anticipated or unanticipated life-altering events in their lives or businesses. Funding for these programs comes from different funding initiatives such as our members, corporate sponsorships, special projects such as our Forgotten Women Book project and mentoring projects. For the Woman of Stature Foundation to run its operations and to continue to bring positive change to the lives of Businesswomen in South Africa, it relies on funding by its Members, Philanthropy and Corporate Sponsorships.
1.
The first critical challenge this programme addresses is the negative impact of the current economic and social challenges in South Africa on Women in business. Job losses, unemployment and lack of resources are some of the economic challenges South African businesswomen encounter. Some of the social challenges are exiting an abusive business or personal relationship and needing to cope with stress linked to the transition, resulting in vulnerability in Women, vulnerability off which predators feed. These predatory relationships further disempower Women who understandably fall prey to further victimisation. This programme aims to inspire constructive decision-making and conflict resolution, increase psychological resilience and introduce WIN-WIN paradigms.
2.
The second critical challenge this programme addresses is the inequality experienced by Women-Owned Small Businesses. These businesses are challenged to grow or scale up due to challenges such as: inaccessibility to equal opportunity and a lack of financial and other resources. This programme aims to support small business development, create and promote synergistic business growth opportunities and enhance entrepreneurial skills.
Accelerate - Her Programme:
This is a 6-month program designed to assist in accelerating growth in Women-owned small businesses that struggle to grow due to the lack of resources and includes Business and Financial Coaching.
This programme is designed to assist in accelerating growth in Women-owned small businesses that struggle to grow due to the lack of resources. We refer to these kinds of businesses as ‘Caged Businesses’. In order to achieve this, the Healing Wing Programme’s beneficiaries may be placed into a ‘Caged Business’ to assist the business with the necessary talent. Additional Business and Financial Coaching may be offered to the ACCELERATE- HER beneficiaries.
Board of Directors

Charlotte du Plessis
CEO

Dr Susheila Moodley
Chairperson

Dr Leon Janse van Rensburg
Director

Ronel Jooste
Director

Yankho Banda
Director
Mentees
Woman Rise Mentoring Programme
Forgotten Women - The South African Story
Order your copy of The Forgotten Women Book now and you can also watch the interviews below

PROMINENT WOMEN SHARE THEIR STORIES
For many women in South Africa, the Covid-19 pandemic and the ensuing lockdown arrived like a tsunami, barrelling down upon unsuspecting mothers, wives, and sisters who may well have been barely maintaining a precarious balance before that wall came crashing down.
Although certain forms of financial assistance have been tabled, there are women who fall between the cracks, and they are very near drowning. The Woman of Stature Foundation wanted to throw these women a lifeline, and so, patrons, members and directors of the organisation–those who may once have been The Forgotten Women, rose up.
The Forgotten Women–The South African Story is a collection of fifteen contributions from some of South Africa’s most successful women. As they share their journeys from pain and despair to success and self-love, the raw emotion and indomitable spirit of South African women springs off the pages. Tale after tale of humble beginnings, pain, loss, struggle, and overcoming it all, will twine around your heart, and spark inspiration within you. The contributors are: Nonkululeko Gobodo, Dr Nirmala Reddy, Sue Moodley, Rita Govender, Shereen Hunter, Marthe-Marie Kohne, Venencia Mhonde, Dr Shakira Choonara, DM Pinky Kekana, Yavi Madurai, Kathy Mann, Tshepiso Maledu, Nicole Fuller, Dr Catherine van Heerden and Lynn Hill.
Businesswoman and board member at the Woman of Stature Foundation, Sue Moodley, kicks off the collection with her tale of grace under pressure and overcoming personal tragedy and systemic discrimination to build an empire. Kathy Mann relates her journey through burnout and resulting illness and finding her true destiny on the other side. Nonkululeko Gobodo’s contribution focuses on her role as a mother and how she was able to eventually find a way to combine that with her work and accolades such as being South Africa’s first black female Chartered Accountant. Lynn Hill’s devastating account of the impact of Apartheid and violent crime in her life is raw, beautiful, and immensely inspirational. South Africa’s deputy minister of Communications and Digital Technologies, Pinky Kekana shares her humble beginnings and how surviving domestic violence gave her the strength to power through and overcome. Shereen Hunter is a prolific business woman today and in her contribution she explains how gender inequity in corporate South Africa has driven her journey to creating companies in which all are equal. Dr Shakira Choonara details her struggle to love and accept herself and the difficulties she experienced in the world of academics. Venencia Mhonde relates her early experiences of patriarchy in Africa and her ongoing journey to ensure that women never take a back seat.
By sharing their stories we hope to have a dual impact. Firstly, all proceeds from the book will go toward assisting women who have been impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, and, secondly, we believe that these stories of triumph in the darkest of times will inspire many more Forgotten Women to rise up.
The initiative was launched by Charlotte du Plessis, CEO of Woman of Stature and Woman of Stature Foundation. She has dedicated the book to her late Mother, Sisters and Daughters who she says are her heartbeat and all the women she has met along her life journey who have sowed into her life.
The forward is written by global award winner and author Professor Shirley Zinn, Patron of the Woman of Stature Foundation and was released on Amazon as an E-Book on 24 July 2020 and on 4 December 2020 as a paperback with proceeds going to the Woman of Stature Foundation (NPC).