Every time there is a soccer World Cup, the colour orange floods the Netherlands. Fanatical fans, cities, towns and businesses all deck themselves out in their team's colour in a jubilant show of support.

In 2010, four hundred rural craftswomen across KwaZulu-Natal are benefiting from Dutch soccer mania. They are hard at work beading 100 000 unisex ‘Oranje' bracelets that will be shipped to the Netherlands before the World Cup.

The ‘Oranje' project is a partnership between Africa!Ignite, a not-for-profit rural development agency based in KwaZulu-Natal and Dutch social entrepreneurs The Rainbow Collection. Africa!Ignite supports groups of deep-rural crafters across the entire KwaZulu-Natal - about 1 000 in total. Already, craft groups from as far afield as Ugu in the south of the province and Zululand in the north have started to work on the bracelet order.

The sale of the 100 000 Oranje bracelets gives work to 400 craftswomen for two months. The Rainbow Collection aims to ensure that 1 000 crafters across KwaZulu-Natal benefit from the World Cup. Africa!Ignite and The Rainbow Collection are in discussions with a range of businesses in the Netherlands and South Africa to secure more sales.