What do you pack when you\u2019re travelling thousands of kilometres to meet strangers in small towns scattered across the country?<\/p>\n
For Mari\u00ebtte Beukes, the answer isn\u2019t complicated. Paint, brushes, a few well-loved tools. And a whole lot of heart.<\/p>\n
Because what she and a bunch of women carry isn\u2019t just art supplies. It\u2019s something far less tangible, but infinitely more powerful. The ability to remind someone, often at exactly the right moment, that they are still seen, still capable, and still worthy of hope.
\nAnd while that may sound like a lofty mission, Mari\u00ebtte will be the first to tell you it didn\u2019t begin that way.<\/p>\n
Where it began? When drought hits deeper than the land<\/strong> Mari\u00ebtte, a passionate artist from Centurion and the founder and driving force behind the initiative, grew up in a farming community where drought wasn\u2019t just something you heard about on the news, it shaped daily life.<\/p>\n \u201cWe used to close schools and businesses to pray for rain,\u201d she recalls. It\u2019s the kind of memory that stays with you. Because drought doesn\u2019t only dry out the earth. It slowly seeps into everything else. Into livelihoods, into homes, into relationships, and most quietly of all, into the emotional wellbeing of the people living through it.<\/p>\n \u201cFarm women are incredibly strong. But there\u2019s an inner struggle that\u2019s very real and often unseen.\u201d<\/p>\n They carry families. Support their partners. Hold things together when uncertainty lingers for months, sometimes years. And somewhere in between all of that, their own need for support often gets pushed aside.<\/p>\n \u201cI realised we can\u2019t bring them rain,\u201d Mari\u00ebtte says, with the kind of honesty that lands softly but firmly, \u201cbut we can bring something else. Something that reminds them of colour, creativity, and hope.\u201d<\/p>\n And so, last year Die Anties Bring Hoop<\/em> was born, not as a grand solution, but as a deeply human response. A way of showing up, of caring, and of placing something life-giving back into spaces that had quietly grown heavy.<\/p>\n Simply Mari\u00ebtte<\/strong> But behind that simplicity is a woman who is deeply creative, grounded, and unwavering in her love for people. A wife, a mom, and a self-proclaimed \u201cfarm girl who married a city boy,\u201d she carries both worlds with an ease that feels natural.<\/p>\n \u201cI just want people to feel seen, valued, and loved,\u201d she shares, and it\u2019s not said as a slogan, but as something that genuinely guides her.<\/p>\n When she\u2019s not on the road, her version of balance is refreshingly uncomplicated. Quiet mornings, coffee in hand, paint on paper without pressure, and time spent with the people who anchor her.<\/p>\n It\u2019s in these slower moments that she refuels, ready to head back out and do it all again. Often with a tin of biltong somewhere in the car, because some things are simply non-negotiable on a road trip.<\/p>\n Art that reaches where words can\u2019t<\/strong> \u201cIt was my safe place growing up. A way to express things I didn\u2019t always have words for.\u201d<\/p>\n Today, with her background as a full-time art teacher and her skill in mixed media \u2014 from paint and clay to more tactile, layered techniques \u2014 she creates workshops that are about far more than learning how to paint.<\/p>\n Together with a small team of women, she offers these sessions free of charge in remote drought-stricken communities, creating a space where creativity becomes the starting point for something deeper.<\/p>\n Because what unfolds in those spaces is rarely just about technique. And often, that shift has very little to do with the artwork itself. It\u2019s about confidence. About expression. About rediscovering a part of yourself that life may have quietly packed away.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s that moment when someone realises, I can do this. You can actually see it … the shoulders drop, the eyes light up, and suddenly something shifts.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Where hope meets reality<\/strong> It\u2019s the kind of stats that sounds impressive on paper, but for Mari\u00ebtte the real impact is found in the moments in between.<\/p>\n \u201cThe hunger for hope surprised me. Not just physical needs, but emotional and spiritual hunger.\u201d<\/p>\n There are stories she carries with her \u2014 not polished or dramatic, but deeply real.<\/p>\n Like the woman who stood back from her painting and began to cry, not because of what she had created, but because she saw something beautiful in herself again.<\/p>\n Or the moment a mother and her daughters gave their last R8.50 for petrol. A gesture so small in value, yet so immense in meaning.<\/p>\n And then there are the lighter moments too. The laughter, the shared jokes, the quiet camaraderie that forms when women realise they\u2019re not as alone as they thought.<\/p>\n Because while the work is rooted in very real hardship, it is equally filled with joy.<\/p>\n The reality behind the scenes<\/strong> \u201cThere are days when I feel completely empty,\u201d Mari\u00ebtte admits. But it\u2019s here that her faith becomes her anchor. \u201cI don\u2019t do this on my own strength. God carries me, He provides, and He opens doors I could never open myself.\u201d<\/p>\n There\u2019s also the quiet reassurance of home \u2014 and the steady support waiting there.<\/p>\n \u201cKnowing my husband is there at the end of it all … that means more than I can explain.\u201d<\/p>\n Changed by the journey<\/strong> \u201cIt has softened me, stretched me, and deepened my faith.\u201d But perhaps most of all, it has deepened her admiration for the women she meets along the way.<\/p>\n \u201cThey inspire me. There\u2019s such a quiet strength … not loud, not showy, but incredibly powerful.\u201d<\/p>\n And at the centre of it all \u2026 hope<\/strong> \u201cIt\u2019s about restoring hope, one heart at a time,\u201d Mariette says, and sometimes that looks like a paintbrush in hand, a shared story, or a burst of laughter in a room that didn\u2019t expect it.<\/p>\n If she could sit across from every woman reading this, she\u2019d simply say: \u201cYou are seen. You are valuable. And no matter how dry or broken life may feel\u2026 there is always hope.\u201d<\/p>\n Because sometimes, life doesn\u2019t need fixing \u2014 it just needs a little bit of colour, a little bit of connection. And a few good Anties to remind you of who you are.<\/p>\n The 2026 tour<\/strong> This year, the experience will grow to include music and storytelling, adding new layers of connection alongside the art workshops.<\/p>\n How you can get involved<\/strong>: Donations can be made through the BackaBuddy crowdfunding campaign: \u2018n oproep tot Hoop Vrou tot Boervroue<\/a> or follow their Facebook page<\/a> @DieAnties.<\/p>\n Details: Mari\u00ebtte on 082-085-9492.<\/em><\/p>\n Text & image: RIALIEN FURSTENBERG.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" And they\u2019re not arriving quietly. With creativity, laughter, and deep compassion, Mari\u00ebtte Beukes and her team are travelling far and wide to bring hope back to women who have been carrying more than most. What do you pack when you\u2019re travelling thousands of kilometres to meet strangers in small towns scattered across the country? For […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121,"featured_media":22759,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[40,20],"tags":[10234,5463,4153,10231,2532,10232,10233],"class_list":{"0":"post-22758","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-people","8":"category-personalities","9":"tag-n-oproep-tot-hoop-vrou-tot-boervroue","10":"tag-artist","11":"tag-centurion","12":"tag-die-anties-bring-hoop","13":"tag-get-it-pretoria","14":"tag-mariette-beukes","15":"tag-the-anties-are-coming"},"yoast_head":"\n
\nLong before Die Anties Bring Hoop<\/em> became a movement, it was simply a response to something deeply felt.<\/p>\n
\nSpend a few minutes with her and one thing becomes clear … she\u2019s not interested in being the centre of attention. \u201cHonestly, I\u2019m just Mari\u00ebtte,\u201d she says with a laugh, the kind that suggests she truly means it.<\/p>\n
\nMari\u00ebtte didn\u2019t choose art in the traditional sense, it was always there, quietly shaping her world.<\/p>\n
\nIn its first year, Die Anties Bring Hoop<\/em> reached more than 900 women, travelling thousands of kilometres across multiple towns. Some so remote that women drove more than 200 kilometres just to be part of a single session.<\/p>\n
\nOf course, a journey like this comes with its challenges. Twenty-one days on the road is no small feat, and the combination of long drives, emotional investment, and constant movement can be exhausting.<\/p>\n
\nSpending time in these spaces, listening to these stories, and witnessing these moments of transformation has inevitably changed Mari\u00ebtte too.<\/p>\n
\nAt its heart, Die Anties Bring Hoop<\/em> is about showing up \u2014 not with all the answers, but with open hands, open hearts, and a willingness to walk alongside someone for a while.<\/p>\n
\nOn June 21 the team returns with an expanded tour \u2014 21 days, 17 towns, and a target of serving 1000 women.<\/p>\n
\n\u2022 Donate: A R100 art pack provides more than materials \u2014 it offers dignity, creativity, and a moment of being seen.
\n\u2022 Share: Help spread the story and extend the reach.<\/p>\n