Trama

25 years after the first free elections in South Africa, a dedicated black mother of six in a township near Johannesburg is determined to become a community leader and change her place in the world. A Growing Thing provides a glimpse of post-apartheid life from a woman's perspective.

Jabulile Ndaba works at a women's project in Tsakane, a township near Johannesburg, South Africa. The project, Kopanang, helps women earn money through sewing and embroidery -- and also enables Jabulile to learn management and accounting skills. Daunted by computers but with a knack for making people listen, Jabulile is in training to become a leader of Kopanang.

With only a 5th grade education, Jabulile Ndaba, a tall black woman with a contagious sense of humor, never thought of herself as a manager. She is the sole provider for her large family. Her husband drinks away his earnings at the local bar. When Jabulile discovers that their teenage son has started smoking the highly addictive street drug "nyaope," she determines to do whatever it takes to help him quit.

Kopanang is run by an Irish nun, Sister Sheila, who is training the women to run the project by themselves. When she announces that she will be moving to Australia, Jabulile and her fellow leaders are expected to take over the management of Kopanang: Can they rise to the challenge?

A highlight is Jabulile's first trip in an airplane. She is invited to accompany Sister Sheila to a conference in Australia. For the first time in her life, Jabulile leaves the ground of South Africa and finds herself in another world. The trip gives her a huge boost in self-confidence, which in turn strengthens her resolve to take control of life back home.

But once home, Jabulile faces further major setbacks. When her drug-addicted son begins to steal from the family, Jabulile and her husband cannot agree how to handle the problem. Tensions at home increase. Jabulile's performance on the job is negatively impacted and her new role in the leadership becomes threatened. Will her crises at home stop her from being able to succeed at work? Can Jabulile develop the self-confidence she needs to help lead Kopanang and her community?