The Sugar Association of South Africa has partnered with the Wildlands Conservation Trust by donating R 24 000 worth of sugar for the conservation NGO’s Indigenous Trees for Life “tree stores” in the Durban area. Indigenous Trees for Life is a livelihoods programme for individuals from vulnerable households who are shown how to nurture indigenous trees from seed until they reach a certain height. These individuals are known as tree-preneurs. The trees are then traded at tree stores set up by Wildlands in exchange for food, clothes, bicycles, agricultural goods and even school and university fees. Trees are then planted back into the communities or into Wildlands’ forest restoration projects.
Debbie Farley, Procurement Manager for Wildlands Conservation Trust said “At the tree stores the sugar is by far the most popular product followed by rice and cooking oil. By December 2009 all the sugar we received through the Sugar Association last year had been purchased by the tree-preneurs with their credit notes.”
“The value of these donations to us as an organisation is enormous. Where we are able to supply the tree stores with donated goods, it allows us to supply a range of products for the communities to buy with their tree growing income.”
Dudu Tholakele Mbuyazi is a tree-preneur from Kwambonambi near Richards Bay, and she purchased ten kilograms of sugar at a tree store which she uses it in tea, for making juice and for baking.
Nkonzo Mhlongo from the Sugar Association of South Africa said: “The sugar donated to Wildlands helps the South African Sugar Association meet its objective of improving the well-being of the poorest of the poor within the sugar growing communities, with a project that gives people the opportunity to help themselves, while greening the planet at the same time.”
/ends
WILDTRUST (registered as the Wildlands Conservation Trust - IT No: 4329/1991/PMB)